Saving Angel
by aniram1122
Summary: Kind-of sequel to Missing Summer. Angel doesn't believe she will ever find her soulfinder, not after what has happened to her in her lifetime. But then she does, and what follows changes her in ways she could never have imagined... and leads her to discover something, or someone, she never thought she would meet again.
1. Well, that's just great, isn't it?

**Hi, guys!  
><strong>**I hope you enjoy this story, it's a bit different from Missing Summer, meaning the Kelly's don't really have anything to do with this one  
>and it's more about Will and his soulfinder trying to accept each other. Anyways, enjoy!<br>Disclaimer: Don't own Finding Sky...  
><strong>

1. Well , that's just great, isn't it?

"Well, we decided not to find out the sex because we wanted it be a surprise." Amy grinned  
>and stroked her belly. I smiled at the barely-visible bump on her stomach. I still couldn't believe<br>that I would be an aunt in at least five months.

"What about names?" I asked. My brother laughed softly and Amy chuckled. "We thought of a few.  
>For a boy, either Maximilian," she paused, watching my reaction. I was happy with that; Maximilian<br>had been my father's name. "Or Riley." I laughed. Riley had been our pet dog.

"If the baby's a girl, we were thinking Grace or Abigail." Abigail was my mother's name.

"They're beautiful names," I murmured. Giorjio grinned and wrapped his arms around Amy. Giorjio was my  
>brother. He was now married and expecting a child. I was still shocked. He used to be such a party boy, but<br>now that he had found his soulfinder…he would do anything for her. I envied them. They were so deeply in love.

I sighed and glanced at my watch. Shit. It was 2:43. I had to pick Daniel up and get to work by 3.  
>I wouldn't make it, not in a thousand years.<p>

"I have to go, guys. It was nice seeing you, good luck at the next appointment!" I rose from my chair.  
>"Sonja, allez hop!" Sonja had been extremely quiet so far. She was colouring. I ruffled her hair. "That's<br>beautiful, darling." She grinned and closed her colouring book. We literally ran to our car and I drove like a  
>madwoman to Daniel's school.<p>

"Daniel, get in!" I screamed at my son, who, looking terrified, murmured some goodbyes to his friends and  
>rushed to the car.<p>

"Right, I have five minutes to get to the restaurant, guys. Buckle up!" I again drove like crazy, breaking, I was  
>sure, every traffic law in existence to get to my workplace, Tastes Like Heaven. The name sucked, but the food<br>there was delicious and the staff was friendly. I had been working there for two years now, ever since I was twenty**-**three.

"Muuuuuum! I'm scared!" Sonja started to cry and scream and Daniel, following her lead, threw a tantrum  
>("I want my Power Ranger toys! I need food! I don't wanna go!").<p>

"Guys! We've arrived." I sighed in relief and got out of the car. Helping Sonja out of her seat, I glared at Daniel  
>who immediately shut up. He knew when to stop.<p>

"Come on, Sonja." I took both my kids' hands and dragged them towards the restaurant.

It was a beautiful place. It had been decorated to stand out, but not in some absurd, lights-blinking on-and-off  
>way. No, the building was graceful and had a Victorian theme to it. Most of the food served there was<br>French, along with a few Italian desserts.

"Hey! You're late!" complained Annie. She was always complaining.

"Great greeting," I retorted. She rolled her eyes and walked off to serve some guests.

"Okay, Daniel, Sonja, wait here, okay? Don't be too loud or I'll never bring you to the restaurant again," I  
>warned my kids as I led them to a little corner of the dining room.<p>

"But it's soo boring!" Daniel moaned. He was seven now, and going through that phase where he _had  
><em>to do something, or he would cause a ruckus.

"Mum, I forgot my colouring book," Sonja whined. Oh, God. If she didn't have her colouring book she'd cry  
>all the time. Great.<p>

"Hey, Mike! You have notebook and pencils?" I cringed at my horrid accent. I had been speaking to my kids  
>in a mixture of Italian, Russian and French and was still learning English, so my English wasn't the best. Oh,<br>well. At least Mike understood me, being used to my ridiculous accent.

"Yeah." His eyes lit up when he saw my kids. "Daniel! Sonja! How're you doing? Daniel, cor, you're big now!  
>And Sonja! What a fine young lady you're turning out to be!"<p>

"I see I won't need the notebook if I've got you, Mike."

"I love kids. Don't worry about these guys, I'll look after them. Oh, and the drinks for table three are ready."

"Thanks Mike. Daniel, Sonja, soyez sages!" I kissed each child on their forehead and left, feeling rather nervous already.

"Here. Drinks for table three." Annie shoved a tray in my face and walked off to flirt with a group of cute  
>guys that had just walked in. I sighed and walked towards table three, shaking my head in disgust. Then<br>I looked up and saw that table three was full. I sighed again. There were so many people to please, too many.

"Hi!" I put on a fake smile as I placed the tray on the table. "Who ordered hot chocolate?" I lifted up  
>a cup of hot chocolate and looked around the table. I almost dropped it. Why were these guys here?<br>I mean, who knew that there were such hot guys in London? They were just…the type of guys I hated. I  
>sighed inwardly. Why today? Why now? I didn't want to talk to them; I didn't want to flirt. I just wanted to earn money.<p>

"Yeah, it's for me." A quiet, singsong voice half-whispered. The girl turned around in her seat to look  
>at me, and I gasped.<p>

"Sky?" I stared at her. She hadn't changed one bit. She still had that innocence about her and the absolute  
>lack of self-confidence. She seemed to have more of it, now, though. Confidence, I mean. She was gazing at me<br>with a strange expression on her face. She didn't recognize me, I could see that much.

"It's me, Angel! I was your roommate back at the orphanage!" Recognition flashed across her face and she smiled.

"Hi! Angel, it's so nice to see you again. It's been so long!" She stood up to kiss me on the cheek. I  
>laughed, patting her back and stepping out of her embrace. I was uncomfortable when people came<br>too close to me, except for when those people were my kids.

"Yeah, it has. Too long." I nodded vigorously. "So, where do you live now?" I wondered if Sky had been  
>adopted. Then again, she probably lived alone or at a university. She would be about twenty now.<p>

"Well, I live with my husband, Zed." She smiled and glanced at the hottie sitting beside her. They gazed  
>into each other's eyes. They were obviously deep in love. "We're getting married here." She grinned<br>and looked at me again. "How are you doing?"

This was the question I hated. "Oh, well, you know. I'm doing fine. A few weird things have been going  
>on, but other than that…"<p>

"What kind of weird things?" Sky seemed very curious, even concerned. I felt butterflies in my stomach.  
>I wanted to shout, "Get out! What do you want with me?"<p>

"Um…Just, you know. Things." I tried to smile but failed miserably.

"It's okay. I get it. We hardly know each other! You were at the orphanage for what, three months? Four, tops?"

"Yes, about that long."

"How was your foster family?" She askedtiltingherhead.

"Well, they had a son already, who was adopted. He was called Stanley." I smiled briefly as I remembered  
>my time with Stanley. "We were together."<p>

"Oh. That's…good, isn't it?" Sky knew. She knew that I had a hard time being around people. I was just so shy  
>. "What about your brother?"<p>

I blinked. She remembered. I answered her question. "Oh. For years, we didn't see each other again. I missed  
>him. He was adopted after you left the orphanage. We met again a year ago at a club. He hasn't changed that<br>much. He is still as childish as ever."

"Yeah, I remember the covering Miss-Cook's-bedroom-with-toilet-paper incident. He got in a lot of trouble for  
>that!" Sky giggled. I frowned. I hadn't found it <em>that<em> funny.

"Yes, he did," I sighed. "Anyway, I got in a fight with Stanley and moved out." I wasn't going to tell her _all_ the  
>details, for example that I had two kids now. "You must introduce me to your friends."<p>

"Oh! How stupid of me!" She hit her forehead with her hand. "This is, as you know already, Zed, and this is our  
>family." I blinked. What had she just said? She backtracked. "I mean my family by marriage." She chuckled. "We<br>wouldn't mind a family of our own. But we think we should wait a few years, until we're older."

"Yes, that is probably a good idea. Children are hard to deal with," I spoke without thinking. Sky looked at me,  
>confused, and then continued to introduce her family.<p>

"Zed has six siblings," she swiveled around in her seat. "Xav, Will, Victor, Uriel and Trace." She pointed at each boy  
>as she said their name. "And this is Summer, Xav's wife; Phoenix, Yves' wife and Zed's parents." The girls smiled at me,<br>Zed's parents looked at me with a concerned look on their faces.

I shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other, wishing I was anywhere but here. I didn't trust myself to look at the  
>boys; they were all so amazingly good-looking, my self-confidence would have shattered immediately. Instead, I stared<br>at the floor, wishing it to swallow me whole.

"What about you, Angel, are you married?" Sky sounded irritated, as if someone was nagging her like crazy. But no  
>one was talking. I suppose it must be me. I <em>am <em>a reason to be irritated. And disgusted.

"No. I'm happily single." I tried to sound cheerful. I failed miserably. I finally tore my gaze from the ground and found  
>myself staring into a pair of brown, glistening eyes. They were beautiful and so was the man who they belonged to.<br>Who was he again? …Will Benedict, the cute funny one.

Something caught my attention and I turned my head to stare. Mike was playing with cutlery…Oh no. No, no, no. Daniel  
>was prancing around on the table and Sonja was drawing on the tablecloth. Fuck. Why now?<p>

"I've gotta go. Bye Sky." I rushed away, hoping they wouldn't see my kids.

"I'll see you soon Angel!" Sky cried desperately.

_Yeah, right._ I aimed this at no one in particular, but I didn't have my shields up so I'm pretty sure every savant in  
>the restaurant heard me. Though I doubt there are savants in London.<p>

**...So? What do you guys think? I'm really enjoying writing this story; I've just finished writing the third chapter, so  
>maybe, if you guys are really really nice, I'll upload the second chapter! ;)<strong>

Mandaxoxo

**UPDATE 10/4/2012: Hellooooo. Just wanted to say, Angel's about 28-20-ish. I'm just saying because I'm not sure if I wrote she was of a different age. She's not. So...yeah.**


	2. Great timing Really

**Hellooo! I'm uploading two chapters today! I love writing this story- the words come to me quickly and I know exactly what I have planned for Angel...  
>Which isn't really the best of things... Anyway, enjoy this chapter!<br>MAnda xoxo  
>Disclaimer: See other disclaimers.<strong>

2. Great timing. Really.

"Mummy, I want biscuits!" Daniel jumped onto the edge of the shopping cart, causing it to tip and all the stuff to fall out. I felt anger burn deep in my stomach and had to try really hard not to scream at my son there and then.

"Daniel Stanley Dupont! Pick up this mess immediately!" I yelled. Not too loudly, but not that quietly, either.

"Yes, mummy." Daniel nodded solemnly. He never pushed things too far. He knew what would happen if I was pushed over the edge. He had seen it himself.

"Mummy, I need to go to the toilet." Sonja whispered.

"Okay, we'll go to the toilet. Daniel, could you just pick everything up and put it in the cart, please? Thank you, mon petit chou." I kissed his soft dark brown hair and wrapped my hand around Sonja's tiny, soft and fragile hand. She was so small. Too small for her age. It was my fault. I shook my head softly; I shouldn't think about that.

We made our way to the bathroom.

While washing our hands, Sonja asked me a question. I was so taken aback that, for a few seconds, I couldn't speak.

"Mummy, will I ever get gifts like you?" I knew what she meant. Savant gifts. I had been worrying too. So far, neither Daniel nor Sonja had developed any skills, not even telepathy. I was worried that there was too much human in them.

"Of course you will. Only, of course they won't be like mine, because everyone's gift is special. Just like you." Never let your kids know you're unsure. They should always be able to trust you.

"Mummu, I don't want to not have your gift. I want your gift! I'm ugly." I blinked.

"No, you're not, Sonja!" I grabbed her shoulders and stared into her eyes. "You're beautiful." She sighed and dried her hands on a paper towel.

"I wish I could change my appearance." She admitted. "Then I wouldn't be…me." I felt a huge pang in my heart. I knew how she felt. As a young girl I had always hated my appearance until I had discovered my gift. Then I was able to change my appearance at will. No one except for Giorjio and I knew the real me, not even my own kids. That made me sad but I was sure once they saw me for who I was, they would hate me.

"You're a beautiful girl, Sonja. Don't be ashamed of yourself." This time, I wasn't lying. Sonja was adorable, with slightly curled brown hair and light brown skin. She had strong cheekbones, plump lips and beautiful green eyes. My only worry was her size; she was tiny. Although she was five, many thought her to be two.

"Mm-hmm." She murmured. We walked out of the restrooms and headed towards where we had left Daniel. When we were about five metres away, I saw something that made me gasp. Will Benedict was talking to my son, helping him pick up the things that had spilled out of the trolley.

Out of instinct, I willed myself to _change_. I felt my hair grow longer and slowly turn brown, my fingers lengthened and my arms became long and slender, as did my legs. The changes happened so quickly, no one noticed. I knew that my eyes were now green and my skin a dark brown which looked tanned from the sun.

To anyone who looked at us now, my children and I would look like family. We usually didn't because Stanley had had dark brown skin, black hair and brown eyes, and, though I hadn't known him, Sonja's father must have had dark brown hair, olive-toned skin and green eyes.

"Hi, Daniel." My voice had changed, too. It was deeper and more melodious, and held more mystery. I liked this look. "Who's this?" I had to pretend as if I didn't know Will Benedict; if he found out who I was, Sky would find out and I didn't want anyone to know about my kids. They had to be _safe_.

"Hi, I'm Will Benedict." I sighed slightly when I heard his voice. It wasn't a sigh of disappointment; oh no, it was a sigh of delight. His voice was magnificent. "I was just helping Daniel with the stuff on the floor." He picked up a pack of rice and popped it into the shopping cart. I was speechless. He was gorgeous.

I shook myself slightly. What was I thinking? I was over men; all they could do was hurt you.

"Thank you." I ruffled Daniel's hair, wondering what Will's would feel like under my hands. I imagined the feel of his lips against mine, the absolute pleasure of…

_Oh, shut up, Angel!_ I chastised myself. Again, I forgot to shield. Will stopped chatting to Sonja and stared at me. Just stared. My heart was thudding, my breathing became uneven.

"What is it?" I asked, my voice breathless.

_You're…her._ His voice, in my mind, rushed over me like a bucket of cold water. Soulfinder. No. No. Not now. Please, not now.

_I don't know what you mean._ Maybe if I pretended to be just another savant, he'd think he had made a mistake. Never mind the fact that every itime I looked like him, I felt a thousand stabs of joy all over my body. He was so amazing. And I couldn't have him.

_I think you do. Please, don't go._ He was pleading. How had he known I had been about to make a run for it?

_Why not?_

_I need you. Please. You're my soulfinder. I've been searching for you my whole life._

_Well, some of us have better things to do. _I snapped at him._ Like raising two kids._

_You've done an excellent job of it. _Despite the fact that I hated him right now, I felt slightly smug.

_Thanks. _I felt a slight hesitation on his side of the connection. _What is it?_

_Who's their…father? _I grinned. How sweet. He was jealous.

_They don't have one. _

He frowned. _Everyone has a father._

_That's not true. Also, my kids are staring at us weirdly; I think I'd better… _He grabbed my hand just as I was about to twirl around and leave.

_Don't go. _He begged. _Don't._

_I have to._

_What's your name? Where do you live? _

_Um…I'm Jenny Edwards._ I lied. Then I told him my address quickly, trying to pretend it wasn't a big deal, but I had never been asked that question by a boy who wasn't my brother before. I was shocked.

_Thank you. Goodbye, my Angel._ He added softly at the end. I looked back once as we were leaving, then, I took my kids by their hands and walked home. 


	3. I'm pretty sure I'm dreaming

**Bonjour!  
>Enjoy this chapter!<strong>  
><strong>Manda xoxo<strong>

3. I'm pretty sure I'm dreaming

I couldn't stop freaking out that evening. The kids were already asleep and I was cleaning the house, daydreaming about Will Benedict. Was he really my soulfinder? I doubted it. I wouldn't mind if he was but…the kids were more important than some stupid soulfinder. I think.

It was about eleven o'clock when the doorbell rang. I put the broom away and opened the door.

Will. He looked as gorgeous as ever. And then I freaked out because I had changed my appearance since we had gotten back from the supermarket.

My hair was bright red, my face narrow, eyes brown and skin as white as snow. I was tall, too. It was good to be tall when cleaning. And what I had on…wasn't what I would consider suitable. I was wearing a low-cut spaghetti top and boxer shorts. My slippers were bright pink with pink panthers on the front. I immediately tried to cover my chest area. A reflex; not that I answered the door to hot guys that often.

"Hello. I think I got the wrong address…" Poor guy. He was obviously confused.

"You didn't." Woah! My voice was weird! It was high-pitched and annoying. I cringed just hearing it. I coughed. "Welcome, Will." There, much better.

He looked confused, but didn't let it faze him. "Jenny? That's you?"

Jenny? Huh, what? Oh yeah, I had told him my name was Jenny. I smiled and nodded. It was then that I noticed that we were almost the same height now and I could fully appreciate his beautiful face.

"Yeah. Well, it's my gift." I chuckled nervously. Would he get angry? I hoped not. "I can change my appearance at will."

"Oh. How do I know what you _really_ look like?" I gazed at the floor.

"You don't," I muttered.

"What? Jenny, I'm sorry, but that's bullshit. You're my _soulfinder_, I do want to know what you look like, y'know!"

"Well, this is what I look like!" I yelled.

"No, it's not, Jenny. You're hiding behind a mask and I don't know why. You can trust me. I'm your soulfinder."

"I don't even know you! Leave me alone!" I tried to slam the door in his face; he held it open by sticking his foot between the door and the wall. There was a sickening crack and minutes later he was lying on my couch.

"I'm so sorry," I repeated again and again while I rushed here and there, getting a few drinks, two cups, a few movies, a cushion and a medical kit…

"It's okay. I'm just surprised you're so strong," he joked.

"Yeah, well, I was cleaning, I need to be strong." I flexed my arm, showing off my muscles. Then, I sat myself beside him on the sofa and slowly removed his left shoe along with his sock. I opened the medical kit, wishing that I was a healer.

"Hold on." I disappeared to my bedroom and came back wearing a nurse's outfit, glasses, my hair up in a tight bun. "Don't ask." I cut him off sharply as he tried to talk.

"Why do you have a…" A sharp glare from me shut him up and I set to work, disinfecting, dabbing at and prodding and bandaging his ruined foot. I felt guilty and humiliated; would he still want me as a soulfinder? Not that I cared. Much.

"There, all better." I slapped his foot softly. He winced and curled up on the sofa, his face so adorably cute I just sat and stared.

"D'you wanna watch a film?" He asked. I nodded, standing up and holding up a few DVDs.

"What should we watch? We have Harry Potter, Twilight, Inception, the Matrix…" I paused as he raised his hand.

"The Matrix. I'm voting for it." He slowly lowered his hand, seemingly embarrassed.

"Good choice." I bent down to put the DVD into the player.

"I know. I've watched it before." I swear I just saw him wink at my reflection.

I snuggled up on the sofa next to him; which surprised him. I was a shy girl but I didn't have any qualms about lying on a sofa with a guy. I mean, I doubted he would try anything.

"Subtitles?" I asked at the same time he said, "Subtitles." We laughed. The movement of his body against mine was amazing.

_Aaargh! Shut up, shut up, shut up! I did _not_ just think that_!

_I'm afraid you did. _My cheeks turned red.

_Dammit!_ My shields were up in a second. I hardly ever shielded; I didn't need to.

_You don't need to shield around me, Jenny._

_Ha! And risk you snatching some foolish thoughts out of my sick, twisted mind? No way!_

_I doubt anything you think is sick or twisted, Jenny._

Our conversation ended as the movie began. I had watched the Matrix a thousand times and I was still not boredby it. Halfway through the movie, I felt a weight on my hips and looked down. Will's arm had snaked around my body. He was hugging me softly. I quickly turned back around, heart thudding quickly.

"Is that okay?" Will murmured as he started to play with my hair.

"It's uncomfortable…But in a nice way," I said referring to his hand on my hip. "And I like it when people play with my hair," I added.

I loved the feel of his hands in my hair. I sighed blissfully. And then I realized just what was happening. I flipped around to face him. He was so surprised by the sudden movement he didn't respond, just stared.

"I'm…I'm sorry. I don't know what you're thinking now. If I led you on, I am sorry. I'm not ready for…that," I said weakly, watching a fire burning in his eyes.

"I wasn't going to do anything, Jenny," he said fiercely. "I won't hurt you."

"That's what they all say." I hugged myself tightly and stood up. "Would you like a drink?" He sighed and nodded.

"I _will_ get you to accept me, Jenny. And I'll get you to accept yourself in the process."

I doubt it. I've locked myself into a cell, one that I can't escape and only few can enter. Men, with the exception of my brother and my son, will never be allowed in. I have to protect my family.

**So the next chpapter will hopefully be up in a few days, not sure though! reviews are greatly appreciated, huge thanks to butterflylion14!**

** Mandaxoxoxoxo**


	4. Life isn't fair Just deal with it

**Hi guys!  
>I hope you enjoy this chapter, it took me an alarmingly<br>long time to write but I hope it was worth it! :)  
>Anyway, have any of you watched the Hunger Games? I did the other day!<br>It was great! :)  
>Anyway...enjoy!<br>Disclaimer: Read other disclaimers.**

4. Life isn't fair. Just deal with it.

I tried my best to go to sleep that night, but I felt guilty for no apparent reason. Well, actually, there _was_ a reason,  
>but…I didn't understand how I could be guilty because of the decision I had made. Will was sleeping downstairs; I<br>had forced him to stay the night because of his foot. Not because I thought of anything_ happening_, but because I didn't  
>want him to get hurt. That was what surprised and scared me most of all; I was already beginning to like the guy. It annoyed me.<p>

Nevertheless, I felt terrible as I thought of him sleeping downstairs on the sofa with only a blanket for comfort. And  
>I thought of how much more comfortable we would both be in my double bed; it had been empty for far too long.<p>

_Just…stop thinking! _I scolded myself. When I was around him, I always thought of absolutely inappropriate things…

_Oh, I don't mind._

The answer to my thoughts came so quickly, I felt my blood run cold, and my face turn bright red. My shields went  
>up again. Why? Why was I always making a fool out of myself in front of him?<p>

I don't know when I fell asleep. I do know, however, that when I woke up Sonja was sleeping peacefully beside me.  
>I smiled and stroked her rose-coloured cheeks, covered her with the duvet and was about to get out of bed when<br>I stopped when I felt something wet on the sheets. I threw back the duvet and groaned. Sonja had wet the bed.

_Great. Just freaking great!_

"Sonja." I shook her gently. She mumbled in her sleep and rolled over. "Wake up!" I sighed. She was giggling  
>slightly. I knew what I had to do. Even before I touched her, she fell apart, laughing. She was ticklish. Very.<br>And I showed no mercy as I tickled her under her arms, her feet, and her tummy.

"Maman! Please! Please, sto-o-op! I'm sorry! I'm…" I stopped. She gasped her breath, her little face shining,  
>her eyes wide open. "Why did you wake me up, maman?"<p>

"Why don't you wake up Daniel and ask Will to make you guys some breakfast?" I didn't want her to know.  
>She would be embarrassed, sad and ashamed. There was no point in telling her she had wet the bed. And<br>yet…she knew. Her lower lip jutted out and her she blinked rapidly.

"I did it again, didn't I?" When I didn't answer, she walked slowly out of the room, her shoulders slumped. I had  
>caused this. I had made my daughter sad. And it was my fault. Everything was my fault.<p>

_Stop it, Jenny. It's not your fault. It's no one's fault. Stop thinking such…horrible things. _He had seen it then.  
>My hand around the hilt of a knife, slowly piercing my skin… My children would be better off without me. I<br>was too young, so inexperienced, and so…alone. They needed someone responsible and clever with a proper  
>job and they needed…two parents.<p>

_It is. It's my fault. Everything is._

_ Jenny, forgive me for saying this but… you're focused on yourself a lot, aren't you? _I felt shock. What had he just said?

_I mean, you love your kids, but you always think about what others are saying about _you_, about why everything  
>happens to <em>you_, about…I dunno. Maybe you should just calm down and think about…other things._

_ Shut. Up. _I was furious. No one can accuse me of not thinking about the welfare of my children. No one. I ran  
>downstairs. All I saw was red. I walked up to him.<p>

"Sonja, Daniel, go upstairs," I said through gritted teeth. They nodded, their faces filled with horror.

_Fuck. You. _That was all I said. It was enough to make him stare at me, with shock and disbelief on his face.

_What? Jenny, I…_

_Get. Out. _ I wanted to scream, to kick him and punch him and…I wanted him out. _Get out! Get out of my life, Will Benedict!_

He hesitated once. He looked at my face and he must have seen something there, maybe the fact that he  
>had gone somewhere he never should have, but his expression changed from hesitation to sadness and<br>pain. Before he left, I heard him say,

"I will never forget you, Jennifer Edwards. Never." It gave me small satisfaction as I realised he still didn't  
>know my real name and he never would.<p>

I turned around and ran upstairs, took both my children in my hands and cried. The door slammed shut.  
>What had I done?<p>

**Duh-duh-dum! Please don't kill me!  
>Anyway, I'd love to hear what y'all think so far! ;P<br>Ciao!  
>Mandaxoxo<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi! How are you doing? hehe  
>Anyway, I just got back from holiday, so I'm a teensy bit crazy...<br>lalala  
>HUGE thanks to my beta, bemyforever-x! :D<br>Disclaimer: I don't own Finding Sky or anything else. Just the characters that I've made up in this story.  
>Enjoy!<strong>  
><strong>Mandaxoxo<br>BTW: The whole chapter title didn't fit into the thingy! So this is the real title:  
><strong>

5. A strange but not altogether unpleasant day

The next few weeks seemed to drag on. Will never showed up, never called, never _did_ anything.  
>Then again, what had I been thinking? That he would come running back to me? That he wouldn't<br>be able to live without me?

Yes. Yes, I had thought that he would come back to me. I had thought that the love he had felt for me  
>was so strong that he wouldn't survive a day without me. Well, I had been wrong. I obviously wasn't as<br>desirable as I had deluded myself into thinking. In fact, I was so undesirable that my own soulfinder had gone running for the hills.

So I did the one thing I knew I could; I worked. I worked extra hours at the café and I got a new job at a  
>supermarket as a cashier. I was exhausting myself, but it helped. It gave me something to concentrate<br>on other than Will.

Another reason I was working so much was Sonja and Daniel. Sonja was going to start school, real school,  
>this year and that meant buying stationery, school books, exercise books…the list was endless.<p>

People at work started worrying about my extreme work hours. Even Annie, who up until now I had  
>thought to only care about three things: shoes, clothes, boys, expressed her concern. Of course,<br>being who she was, Annie didn't really say it in the way a normal person would- politely.

"So," she said during our break. She was painting her nails, looking bored. "Why do you choose to walk  
>around looking like that, anyway?"<p>

"What do you mean?" I asked, knowing that whatever she said next would not be nice.

"Like a…beggar, a homeless one who doesn't own conditioner." Her eyes widened as if she couldn't  
>imagine why anyone, not even a beggar, could not own a bottle of conditioner.<p>

"Annie." How could I break this to her gently? "Not everything is about shoes, clothes and boys.  
>In fact, I'm pretty sure beggars have more pressing concerns, though I'm sure that conditioner<br>is very important to people like you."

"What do you mean 'people like me?'" Her eyes narrowed and she pressed her lips into a thin line.  
>"You're just assuming I'm a idiot. Shoes and clothes <em>aren't <em>the only things I think about. I think about…  
>boys and…" she ran her fingers through her hair, obviously irritated, "Make-up and…world peace!"<br>She stared at me victoriously as if she had just won a Nobel Prize or something.

"Annie, what about education? Have you ever heard of that? What are you going to study? Are  
>you even going to?" I felt as stab of remorse at this young girl's parents. Why hadn't they told her<br>that life was not one huge party? That it was, in fact, a horrible, horrible thing?

"We weren't talking about me!" She exclaimed. "What I _meant_ to say is that you look like Madeline!" What?  
>She didn't mean that girl that starred in the cartoon series every Wednesday, did she? Sonja sure loved<br>that television programme.

"Madeline?" I said aloud, looking at her as if she had lost it.

"Yeah. Madeline O'Brian. She's my best frenemy. Anyway, this guy she fell in love with asked her out and she  
>was over the moon. Then he broke up with her and she stopped putting on make-up, flirting, showering, eating…She<br>was a wreck. She got on track again after she met a hawt gut called Justin. She's fine now."

"Okay…and how am I like this Madeline?" I asked. I really didn't want to know the answer, but I couldn't help it.

"Well, you're a wreck. Don't worry, though. Soon, your Prince Charming will come and you'll live happily ever after!"  
>She seemed pleased with her explanation. I, on the other hand, sighed deeply and shook my head. So naïve. If<br>only she knew.

"Ooh, I can see you're on the right track already!" Annie excitedly shoved me towards the man who had just entered  
>the café. "Good luck, my little French muffin!" She patted my cheeks and ran off. What a strange girl.<p>

"Hello, welcome to Tastes Like Heaven…" My voice drifted off. I knew this guy. Who was he, though?

Xavier Benedict. The name came to me unexpectedly and I took a step back. Had he found out? No, he couldn't have…  
>could he? He was certainly looking at me strangely, his handsome face, that was so much like Will's, confused and amused.<p>

"Let me show you to your table," I said in a quiet voice, my hands shaking. I kept my eyes trained on the  
>ground as I led him to a table in the corner of the café and handed him a menu. Just as I was about to walk<br>away, I felt a large hand wrap around my wrist. I turned to see Xavier staring at me with a pained expression  
>on his face. What was it now?<p>

"Yes, sir? Have you already decided what you would like to eat?" I asked, puzzled by his strong grip. Was he  
>that hungry?<p>

"No," he choked out. His voice was…strangled. As if it was very hard for him to talk to me. I noticed he was  
>deliberately not looking at me, either.<p>

"Oh." I tried to smile. It was important to smile around customers.

"I know who you are." All attempts to smile stopped. I just stared. _No._

"What? I-I don't know what you mean!" I spluttered, my face slowly turning red.

"No. I doubt you remember. It was quite a long time ago, I suppose." A long time ago? More like a few weeks  
>ago! I was about to answer when Annie appeared. After staring at Xavier and giving an approving nod,<br>she tapped my shoulder and started talk in an oddly high-pitched voice. Obviously she was trying to impress Xavier.

"Mike wants to talk to you," she stated. For once I was glad for the interruption. I did not want to  
>discuss this with Xavier. Besides, it was none of his business.<p>

"Okay. Thanks." I sighed in relief and turned to go.

"Wait." His eyes were pleading me but I didn't care. I couldn't face him right now. I certainly couldn't face Will.

"I'm sorry, Xavier. I have to go. Do excuse me." I followed Annie to the entrance of the café and was  
>surprised to see my kids along with a very pissed off looking Ms. Roland. She was Daniel's English teacher<br>and, as far as I knew, very fond of him. So what was up?

"Good evening, Ms. Roland. How are you doing?" I held out my hand for her to shake. She scowled and  
>refused to take it. Embarrassed, I wringed my hands and looked at my kids, both of them were staring holes<br>into the floor. Oh God, tell me they didn't get into trouble at school.

"Daniel. Sonja." I used my best no-messing-with-me voice. They cringed and both shifted anxiously from foot to foot.  
>"What did you do?"<p>

"I believe I can tell you that myself, Ms. Dupont," Ms. Roland interrupted. Her voice was hard and serious. Jesus  
>Christ, what had they done?<p>

"Um, okay." I didn't know what to say. "Sonja, Daniel, go…somewhere." They nodded frantically and ran over to  
>Mike who was staring at us intently. I wrinkled my nose. "What did they do?"<p>

"I'm sure you've met my son, Gavin? He's in your daughter's class; he's a incredibly sweet boy!" Huh. Well, someone  
>obviously thought highly of their child. Not that I didn't think highly of my children, but I didn't go around shouting it<br>from the rooftops, either.

"Oh, well, I'm sure he is." Not. I didn't add that last part, though. I was an adult, not some immature child. Besides,  
>I had an example to set.<p>

"Yes, yes, I know." She waved her hand at me carelessly. "Now, today in school I received a terrible fright; there  
>was my son, covered in blood, screaming and crying, of course I wasted no time in asking him what was wrong!<br>And do you know what? He told me that your _son,_" she accompanied the word with a sneer, "had bullied him, the  
>poor dear. I cannot accept this type of behavior, Ms. Dupont. I am sure you understand that this cannot be tolerated."<br>She sniffed. God, what an uptight bitch. Daniel would never do such a thing!

"Thank you for informing me, I'll have a word with Daniel." I meant it; I couldn't have Daniel going round hitting  
>people. "But I don't understand what Sonja has to do with it?"<p>

"Apparently, she was the one who called for Daniel to beat him up. It wouldn't surprise me either, your  
>children are <em>foreigners<em>. Clearly they don't understand how children here are expected to behave. Obviously,  
>they don't have a great role model since you can't keep your hands off anyone." She glared at me.<p>

"Excuse me, are insinuating that I am a slut?" How dare she? She had no idea about my history, or what had  
>led me to have my two beautiful children.<p>

"I am doing _nothing _of the sort." Her voice sounded horrified, but her expression said it all. Cow.

"It was nice meeting you, Ms. Roland. Goodbye." I turned my back to her, not even bothering to see if she had  
>left or not. A moment later I heard the door open, then close. Now, then, what to do with the kids…<p>

"Daniel, Sonja." My voice was cold. I glared at them. "Can you please tell me what really happened?" I  
>dropped my act and hugged them both. "I'm so proud of you both! Well done, hitting that Gavin, Daniel!<br>Oh, don't you dare do it again, but well done! And as for you, Sonja, what a clever idea to call Daniel! I'm  
>glad you didn't try to hit that thug yourself!" I kissed my kids on the top of their heads and smiled. "Let's go<br>home, then! Giorjio and Amy are coming over for dinner!"

We hadn't seen them for so long.

"Auntie Amy! Uncle G!" Daniel ran outside and hugged Giorjio. I grinned and hugged Amy, who was glowing with happiness.  
>Sonja rushed outside to greet her uncle and her aunt.<p>

"I'm so excited about the baby!" She cried, outing her ear to Amy's stomach and giggling. "How long?"

"A few more months now." Amy patted Sonja's head and laughed when she started to sing. "I'm sure the baby enjoys  
>your singing, Sonja." She looked thrilled and ran to her uncle, jumping into his arms.<p>

"Hey, baby," he smiled and let her down. "How're you doing, Ange?" He asked me. I scowled. He knew I hated  
>that nickname.<p>

"Good. Daniel bloodied a guy up. He was bullying Sonja." On the drive home, the truth had come out.  
>Gavin had called Sonja a 'foreigner's bastard' and a 'whore' (presumably he hadn't known what those words<br>actually meant.) so she'd called Daniel who had kicked his fat ass.

"Well done, mate!" Giorjio clapped Daniel on the back and laughed out loud. Yeah, we were childish.  
>At least we were a close family unit who loved each other.<p>

"Come on in." I opened the door wide and we all stepped in. I had cleaned up for this occasion and  
>it had certainly paid off. My mind was clearer and less stressed. I knew this state of cleanliness would<br>not last until tomorrow but I didn't care. Let Giorjio think I lived a clean, pure and honest life. Yeah, right.

"How long did it take to clean up?" As if echoing my thoughts, Giorjio smirked and opened the door to the  
>study which, sure enough, had all the stuff dumped in it. I smacked his head and grinned.<p>

"What makes you think I cleaned up?" I asked. He snorted and entered the living room.

"Three hours?" he asked when he saw the dining table. I just rolled my eyes, refusing to take the bait.

"What's for dinner?" asked Amy. "Oh, I love what you've done with the kitchen!"

"Thanks! Dinner's spaghetti Bolognese. Nice n' easy. Tell me about the baby." We chatted for a while,  
>while the pasta cooked. I learned that the baby was fine and that they had decided not to find out the<br>gender of the baby. I told them about work and how the kids were doing but he one thing I kept to myself  
>was what had happened with Will. I don't think I would ever tell anyone what happened.<p>

I served the spaghetti and we all sat down to eat. It was quite late by then. The kids were tired and fell asleep  
>on the couch after they had finished eating and I told Amy and Giorjio all about work and Sonja starting school. We had a great time.<p>

"We better leave soon before it gets too dark," Giorjio announced.

"Oh. Okay." I stood up and collected all the dishes and plates. "How much did you have to drink, by the way?"  
>I asked casually.<p>

"Not much. It's fine, Angel. We'll be okay." He slapped my back and guffawed. Rolling my eyes, I dumped the  
>dishes in the sink and patted Sonja's head.<p>

"Wake up, sleepyheads. Giorjio and Amy are leaving." She jolted awake. So did Daniel. They both started to  
>protest but I laughed them off. "They'll come again soon. Maybe next time they'll have a baby!"<p>

"Oh, that would be so cool, Aunt Amy!" Sonja leaped up and hugged Amy. "Please come soon!" she whispered.  
>Giorjio and Daniel did a weird handshake and laughed. We all said a few words of goodbye before they left.<p>

"C'mon, guys, I gotta get you to sleep." I picked Sonja up and held Daniel's hand as I took them to their bedrooms.

"Goodnight."

I had already forgotten what happened with Xavier.

**...What do you think Xavier wanted? hehehe...we'll see!  
>Anyway, please review!<br>Also, we met up with Giorjio and Amy since I realise they hadn't been meeting  
>up as often as I would expect one to. So...ja.<br>Anyways, bye! Until next time!  
>Mandaxoxo<strong>

PS:

** The next chapter might take a little longer than normal, since I'm going to *try* to make it _extra_ long!  
>:)<strong>


	6. Not sure how to describe this

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Finding Sky.**

6. Not sure how to describe this

The next day I took the kids to school as usual and then I headed to the café. Just as I was about to enter it,  
>a finger tapped my shoulder and I whirled around, startled.<p>

"Angel." It was Xavier. All the memories of yesterday came flitting back and I started to panic. I couldn't run; he was  
>cornering me. Oh God, what did he want?<p>

"Please, listen to me." He must have sensed my panic because he stepped back a bit. Still too close.  
>I breathed quickly. What did he want?<p>

"Angel. Calm down." This time he grabbed my shoulders and forced me to sit down on the bench in front of the café.  
>I swallowed loudly before staring at him again.<p>

"What do you want?" I gasped. He looked at me as if scared that I would freak out again before starting to talk.

"I need to tell you something. It's about…your children. I have a question concerning them."

I blinked. What? Didn't he want to ask about Will?

"But…" I hesitated. Was I forgetting something? "What about your brother?" Now it was his turn to blink and look  
>completely clueless. Too late, I realised he didn't know that I was Will's soulfinder. He knew me only as the waitress,<br>not as Will's soul mate. Of course. I sighed in relief and thanked my gift. So what did Xavier want to know about my children?

"My brothers? They're all doing fine. Well, except for Will. He's…not doing so well. A girl broke his heart. He's kind of  
>starving himself, only Summer doesn't let him. She cooks for him." I nodded glumly. I had caused this. Will could die…because of me.<p>

"Oh. That's not good." Wow, way to state the obvious, Angel! I rolled my eyes inwardly before continuing.  
>"Why do you want to know stuff about my kids?" I asked. He had looked serious before but now he looked plain miserable.<p>

"Angel, I know what you are. I know that you're a savant."

I played dumb. "What is a savant?" I asked, trying to look curious.

"Angel. Please. Why try to hide? I know what you are. Don't lie. This is important,' he pleaded. I felt my resolve  
>crumble and curiosity took over.<p>

"Yes, I am a savant. What does that have to do with anything?" The look of relief on his face answered my  
>question: Everything. It was very important.<p>

"Angel, I'm sorry if this is too personal a question, but I need to know. Who is the father of your children?" It  
>was a straightforward question. I wasn't going to give him a straightforward answer but I had to know what<br>this was leading to. I had to.

"It's a long story," I informed him.

"I have tonnes of time."

I nodded. I had never told anyone this story but there was something about him, it was like his life depended  
>on it.<p>

"My parents died when I was a young girl. It was a car crash that killed them, leaving my brother and me orphans.  
>The orphanage that we went to was the same orphanage Sky went to- but you already know that. It wasn't long<br>before I was adopted. The foster family was extremely kind to me and I felt like I belonged. The only downside was  
>that I had had to leave my brother behind.<p>

"Anyway, when I was about fifteen, I realised that I had developed a crush on Stanley, my stepbrother and my  
>foster family's real son. We got together and stayed like that for a long time. My foster family wasn't that rich and<br>we lived in a council flat. Money was tight so Stanley and I decided to stay with them, to try and help them, you know?

"So when I was twenty I was still living there. And in the same year I realized I was pregnant with Stanley's child.  
>Of course I was nervous, but I told him, thinking that he would support me. He didn't. He told me to leave.<br>So I did. Thankfully I managed to scrape enough cash to move into a tiny flat and gave birth to Daniel.

"It was hard. I had no experience, no one to help me. I had no friends, either, having spent so long trying to just  
>help Stanley's family get by. God, what a waste of time that was.<p>

"I gradually got so low that I had to take antidepressants and stuff. I didn't have time to eat or sleep. Daniel grew  
>up mature for his age and was always helping me. I love him to bits. He's so strong.<p>

"I had met a woman, Natasha, around that time. Her daughter, Becca, was born on the same day, in the same  
>hospital as Daniel. We were good friends by the time Daniel was three. It was then that she told me, "Right,<br>you're miserable enough, I can't stand it. I've booked a ticket to America for you. Go and I'll take care of Daniel." So I went.

I visited a lot of parties, got drunk, you know the deal. Then, one day, I woke up and freaked. Because I was in  
>a stranger's bed alone. I walked out of what I thought was a flat but was actually a hotel room. A one night<br>stand. Wasn't that spectacular, and I went back to England. I didn't think about it after that.

It was only about a few weeks after that that I realised I was pregnant with Sonja. I was horrified and scared.  
>Another child without a father. Natasha helped me through it and I gave birth to Sonja, much too early. It's<br>because of that that she is so small. She barely survived, but she did and for that I am very grateful.

"When Sonja was two years old I decided to move to Russia. Why? To this day, I don't know but I was  
>drawn to the place. We lived there for a few years; the kids grew up speaking Russian, English, French<br>and Italian. Then we moved back to London. I wanted my job at the café back and Daniel wanted his old friends back.

When I got back everything had changed. Natasha had left and I didn't see her again, my flat had been  
>sold to someone else. I struggled for a few months before finally finding a good enough flat. And when I was<br>twenty-seven, I met Giorjio on a night out. He had met his soulfinder by chance. They are married now and expecting their first child."

Xavier didn't say much for a while. He just looked at his feet, deep in thought. Finally he said, "Angel,  
>where did you go to in America?"<p>

"Um, I'm not sure, quite a few places, really. New York, Miami, and, since I had always wanted to try out skiing,  
>a little town in Colorado! They had a Starbucks that looked like a Swiss chalet!" He let out a frustrated groan.<p>

"Why?" he muttered under his breath. Then, he looked at me, guilt and pain written all over his face. "Angel,  
>I'm sorry for this. I truly am. In fact, I'm scared."<p>

"What is it?" I asked. "What's wrong?" It couldn't be that bad, could it?

Oh, but it could.

"Angel. Five years ago I met Summer. Five years ago she was kidnapped and I was in the depths of despair.  
>Five years ago I went to a club and had a one-night stand. Five years ago, I woke up in a strange bed and<br>saw you lying on it. Five years ago, I ran away from you."

Thank goodness I was sitting already, because I fainted. Wouldn't you; if you found out that your daughter's father  
>was the brother of the man whose heart you had broken? Why was it that life was so bloody complicated?<br>Why couldn't soulfinders just meet and have a good life? Why?

That's the question I find myself asking far too often.

When I awoke I was lying on a couch with a blanket on top of me. I took in my surroundings. I was in a huge  
>spacious room, with white walls and dark, wooden floorboards. Huge windows looked out onto the streets of<br>London, though the view was much nicer than the one from my flat. No doubt this was a hotel. In front of me, Xavier  
>stood with his arms wrapped around his wife, Summer. They were wrapped up in their own little world, murmuring<br>to each other occasionally, smiling happily.

_Why can't I have that?_ Not again. I should get a medal for my lack of shielding ability.

They whirled around and stared at me with pity on their faces. _Pity._ Oh, how I hated it.

"Hello," said Summer. She really was a beautiful girl, with her lovely red hair and tanned skin. Sigh. Why can't I be like that?

Of course, as soon as I thought that my stupid, stupid gift acted up and changed me, almost out of instinct.  
>Without even having to look into a mirror, I knew that my appearance now mirrored Summer's, except for<br>the slight amount of makeup she wore. Her eyes widened as she stared into my – er, I mean, her- eyes.

"That's your gift," she stated. Not a question. Well, it _was _kind of obvious.

"Yep." I changed back to the person they knew me as- the blonde-haired, blue-eyed, skinny girl. "It has its  
>advantages."<p>

"And disadvantages," Xavier piped in.

"I still can't believe this. You're the father of Sonja? And you just left me?" Okay, that was harsh. But hey, I didn't  
>want anything to do with them anymore.<p>

"He was drunk, you both were! He couldn't help it! It wasn't his fault! Xav is great; he is kind and courageous and  
>would do anything to save those who he loves! Whereas you? You run away at the first sign of conflict! Look at your<br>kids! I bet you don't even trust yourself to show them what you really look like!" she panted, her forehead creased  
>and her hands in fists at her sides. I gulped. She was kind of scary.<p>

"I'm sorry. All my life I've been convincing myself that me, the real me, is someone no one would or could like. I just don't think I'm ready for-"

Summer interrupted me again, "I'm gonna leave you two alone for now. Try and work it out." She turned on her heel  
>and left the room quickly. I stared after her, trying desperately to not look at Xavier.<p>

"So," he said nervously. I finally turned my eyes to his, a blank expression on my face. "I'm not sure. What we should say,  
>I mean. This isn't really your average day, is it?" I shook my head.<p>

We stayed there for about five minutes, none of us talking, until I suddenly stood up and cried, "I can do this, alone!  
>I've managed so far, I don't need your help! So thanks but no thanks!"<p>

"Angel, I feel so bad. I should be there for your kids; I should be there for you, helping you. No child deserves to grow  
>up without a father." It was kind of ironic that a few days ago I had been thinking the same thing.<p>

"Yes, but, Summer and you want to have a family, children of your own, don't you? I can't stand in the way of that." He  
>looked at me, and I saw in his eyes that I had been right but there was something else there, too.<p>

"I just…I can't explain. Can't we just act like nothing's happened; go back to our own lives?" He shook his head slowly.

"No, Angel. I would be filled with guilt every single day for the rest of my life and you, well, I'm pretty sure you'd regret it.  
>I want to get to know her… and possibly Daniel as well."<p>

"I can't tell them. I can't tell them that you're Sonja's father. She'll freak out and she'll be so confused. And Daniel will just  
>feel terrible."<p>

"You're gonna have to. She has a right to know."

My head was spinning. How could this be happening? _Why _was this happening, now of all times? And why Xavier?

"I-I have no idea what to do! I know you're right, but I just don't want to do this!"

"I know." He raked his hand through his hair and sighed angrily. "I understand if you don't want me to suddenly burst  
>into your life, but that's inevitable. We can work this out, somehow."<p>

I glanced at my watch and cried out in alarm. "I have to go pick my kids up from school! Call me, okay?" I quickly told  
>him my number and rushed out.<p>

"Bye, Angel." Summer looked at me with a sad expression on her face. I nodded in her direction as I ran out of the hotel,  
>hailed a taxi and was driven to the café.<p>

I hopped into my car and picked the kids up. They could sense something was wrong, but cleverly didn't ask any  
>questions.<p>

"Guys, this is Xavier Benedict." Sonja and Daniel were sitting down in front of me on the sofa. They looked up at Xavier  
>and me, clearly confused. We had decided to tell them about Xav being Sonja's dad. "We have something to tell you guys."<p>

"Okay, but Mum, can we hurry because I'm really tired." Sonja yawned and I shifted awkwardly from foot to foot.  
>Was it too late for them? It was only 8 pm.<p>

"Sure Sonja." I sat down between my lovely kids and put my arms around both of them, snuggling them closer to  
>me. "Remember when you asked me about your daddies, and I told you that you didn't have one because you<br>have a super mummy?" They giggled and sat up straighter, no longer tired and drowsy. This was a topic that  
>interested them. "Well, that's still true." They snickered again. "However, you <em>do <em>have daddies."

Sonja and Daniel stared at me, their eyes wide, their heads cocked to one side, interested. "Didn't my daddy  
>want to be my daddy?" muttered Danny. I frowned. This wasn't right.<p>

"Mes anges, of course not! Who wouldn't want to be your daddy?" I chuckled softly and tickled him. "But now,  
>I really need to tell you something." I stopped fooling around. They stared back at me, their expressions serious.<p>

"Xavier met me long ago, and well…" Rip the plaster quickly. It'll hurt less. "He's Sonja's daddy."

For a while no one spoke. I started freaking out because Sonja wasn't doing anything. Daniel, on the other hand,  
>was slowly turning red. Oh dear God, what had I done to my kids?<p>

"I should probably leave." Xavier was still there, I realised. Turning around to face him, I nodded slowly.

I led him to the front door, leaving the kids in the living room. "Thank you," I whispered. "I don't think I would  
>have managed this alone." He nodded quickly.<p>

"Yeah. Um, look, tell me how she's doing later, yeah? I still haven't told my parents or my brothers, they won't  
>be happy. She's cute," He added, smiling briefly.<p>

"Yes. They are both cute." We said goodbye and I swiveled around to see Daniel standing in the hallway, his  
>face unreadable, holding his favourite soft toy in his hand.<p>

"Daniel, are you tired?" He nodded. I took him to his bedroom and tucked him in, kissing him on the forehead.  
>"I love you," I whispered, in all four languages that we knew.<p>

When I returned to the living room I found Sonja fast asleep on the couch, breathing deeply. I picked her up and  
>gently carried her to her room, placed her in her bed and tucked her in. "Good night. Love you." I kissed her cheeks and smiled.<p>

As I was walking back to the living, a strange noise caught my attention. It came from Daniel's bedroom  
>and I identified it immediately as the sound of him crying. I rushed over to him and wrapped him up in my arms.<p>

"What's wrong, my baby?" I kissed the top of his head and stroked his cheeks. He was shuddering, little tears falling  
>onto his lap as he took shuddering breaths.<p>

"It's just that…Sonja has a daddy now, and I don't…does my daddy hate me? Who _is_ my daddy, Mum?"  
>I sat, frozen, my hand stopping stroking his cheeks. Could I tell him? Why did he want to know?<p>

"Your daddy…was a man called Stanley. He was very kind to me, Daniel, but he had a lot of problems of  
>his own and we couldn't stay together. He loved me and I'm sure he loves you too." I finished talking to<br>glance down at Daniel. He was still sniffing back tears but was no longer crying. I took his hand in mine  
>and squeezed it gently. "He'd be proud of you for being so strong."<p>

He smiled a watery smile and I tucked him again. It wasn't long before he fell asleep.

I was shocked, to say the least. So many things had been happening lately; Will, Xav, Sonja being bullied.  
>All I wanted now was a good rest and a late morning but that was too much to ask for.<p>

You never have a day off when you're a mum.

**...So...Like it? Hate it? Please leave a review!**

**I loved writing this chapter, it was so much fun! I've been wanting to write this for a while and it was soooooo**  
><strong>hard to have to wait! :)<strong>

**Anyway, I'll post the next chapter on Tuesday! Although I'll probably end up posting earlier because I'm so impatient!**

**Mandaxoxo**

**PS: If I mixed up Will and Xav's names somewhere, sorry! They're surprisingly easy to mix up!**


	7. Meeting the family and going out

**Yup, I knew it. I wasn't able to wait! Anyway, here's the next chapter, just getting to know the family, etc.  
>Expect the next chapter next week-ish! :)<br>Disclaimer: I still don't...sadly.**

7. Meeting the family and going out

"Hi, I'm Phoenix. Call me Phee, though. Everyone does." I smiled and shook Phoenix's hand. She had dark hair and was what most boys would call sexy, I suppose. I felt washed-out and plain next to her, even with my fake appearance, and felt the urge to change. But I couldn't. I _wouldn't._

"Angel! I've heard so much about you, I can't wait to meet my grandchildren! Oh, I almost fainted when I found out!" Xavier's mother, Karla Benedict, wrapped me up in a warm hug and gushed happily. I felt a rush of admiration for the woman. She should hate me, I thought. I'm not even married to Xav.

"Thank you," I murmured. I was distracted; I had just seen Sky. She must have been ten years old at the orphanage. We had been in the same room. She had barely talked and I'd been happy to oblige.

"Angel." She smiled, a little nervously, and took my hand in hers. Her hand was soft and small. "Are you okay?"

"F-fine," I stuttered. She was acting strangely, it was like she could see my soul…I shook myself free of the silly notions. She was most likely an emotion reader or something of the sort.

"Good." Her smile was genuine this time and I couldn't help but smile back before facing Summer. She was amazing; putting up with me, knowing I slept with her husband. Xavier explained to me the circumstances in which they met and I was shocked. They truly do love each other.

"Summer. Thank you so much." I hugged her. We had gotten to know each other well over the last few days; Xav and I had met up to talk about the "Sonja situation" as we called it. Not that it was a problem. I would never ever feel guilty for having Sonja in my life.

"That's okay. How're the kids?" She inquired. I smiled. They were being looked after- by Xav. He was getting to know them alone.

"I hope I don't find the house burned down when I get back," I said quietly, remembering Summer's outburst the other day.

To my surprise, she snorted and patted my arm. "I'll kill him if you do." We smiled at each other briefly before I turned my attention back to the rest of the Benedict family.

Everyone except for Xavier was there. And Will. His absence glared up at me horribly and I felt tears sting my eyes. Why hadn't I wanted to be his soulfinder again? Oh, yeah, he'd told me I was a self-obsessed woman who didn't care about her kids. All guilt faded.

I was introduced to the other brothers.

Trace was the eldest Benedict son. He was a cop, apparently and worked in Aspen. Uriel was second eldest. He could see the past. I cringed away from him, knowing that whatever he saw in my past, he would disapprove of me. Victor was next. He wore a serious expression on his face as he stared at me. I got the feeling he didn't smile often. Scary man, apparently he could manipulate people. Great. I was scared of him, too.

When I asked Sky about Will, her soulfinder, Zed, looked up abruptly and stalked over to us from where he'd been talking to his brother, Yves. "Will's run into some problems, I'm sure you'll meet him someday." Guilt coursed through my veins again. Sky watched me curiously while her husband held her hand.

"You okay?" she asked me. I nodded. Ugh. I shouldn't feel guilty; he was the one who had done something wrong; not me.

Everyone was talking, catching up with each. I finally got to meet Yves Benedict properly. He seemed the nicest, so I had high hopes as I looked around the room before finally locating him. Sadly, he was sitting on the couch with Phee on his lap, looking too relaxed and comfy to want to talk to me about…huh. I don't even know what I would have talked to him about.

I wandered around the room, chatting with the brothers and the girls, my bad mood fading, when suddenly Karla shouted out loud. "Out! All you boys get out! It's time for some girl time!" Karla's husband kissed her briefly on the cheeks before stalking out of the room. All the other boys did, too. I was curious. 'Girl time' what was that?

I suddenly noticed all the girls were sitting on the couch. "Angel, come sit with us!" Karla called. I scurried over quickly, my heart beating loudly.

"Don't look so frightened, dear. We're going shopping!" Karla looked delighted; the other girls, however, particularly Phee and Sky, groaned loudly and covered their faces with their hands. Okay. That was weird.

"We'd love to go shopping, Mrs. Benedict," Sky said in a strangled voice. Didn't girls _like_ going shopping? What the hell was wrong?

We all rushed outside where a taxi was waiting for us. Sky whispered to me, "Beware! Do _not_ let your guard down! Resist all attempts to pull you over to the dark side!" I mused over this silently on the way to the mall. What did she mean?

It became pretty apparent when Karla dragged me to the nearest shop, muttering that I, "hadn't gone shopping with her yet and that she was delighted to be shopping with me now." She showed me a few hideous items of clothing. I understood what Sky meant. Urgh. Who wore this kind of stuff?

"Oh, wouldn't it be sweet for you to wear this! You and Sonja could wear matching dresses and Daniel could wear this!" She held up three hangers. On the first one there was a dress, my size that resembled something someone in 'Annie' would wear, only it was bright red and had a pocket in the front with a smiling scarecrow on it.

The second hanger had the same outfit hanging from it, only smaller.

The third hanger was what distressed me the most. A suit, okay, I could deal with that, only it was neon pink and had fairy wings sticking out the back. I began to wonder if Karla was insane. Daniel would not be caught dead wearing that.

"I…umm…I don't think that's Daniel's style." Her face fell.

"Really? Girls like men who can wear pink."

"Yes, that may be, but Daniel is seven and hates pink," I informed her. Slowly her face broke out into a smile.

"I know, my dear!" she laughed. "It was just a test to see if you were a bitch! You're not! Naturally I wouldn't force any guy to wear something like this!" She threw the suit over her shoulder, causing the shop assistant to glare angrily at us. "And don't worry; I'll pay for the dresses!"

An hour later we left clutching tonnes of bags, giggling like hyenas and blabbering away. I hadn't had a night out like this in ages. It felt uplifting, cool. But I was getting kind of worried about Xavier looking after my kids.

"Don't worry. He loves kids. And I doubt he'll burn the house down!" Summer giggled. "Y'know, there was this one time, the oven it just went up in fla-" she paused at my alarmed expression. "Don't worry," She repeated. "It'll be fine."

When we arrived back at the Benedict house, Xavier was already there with the kids. They looked fine, not hurt or anything, so I stopped fretting and wrapped Sonja and Daniel up in a warm embrace.

"Thank you," I mouthed at Xavier, who was grinning madly at Summer because of the hot little dress she was wearing which she'd bought at one of the shops.

"Don't even bother trying to get his attention." Zed came up from behind him, a happy-looking Sky at his side. "He'll just leave as soon as he can to his house, with Summer, of course."

It happened suddenly, hitting me like a tonne of bricks. I hadn't been bothered by it before, but now I was surrounded by people who had found their soulmates, who were settled down and happy. Whereas I was the single young mother of two who had thrown that all away because of her own pride and stupidity.

Sonja was laughing at something Karla had said. They were sitting next to each other and Karla was fascinated and entranced. Daniel was hanging out with the 'big boys', Saul and Trace. By the way he was talking quickly and using his arms, I thought he was talking about his Hot Wheels or something.

I was glad that they were getting along, unlike their idiot mother.

"Hey, you okay?" Zed was still standing next to me, a concerned expression on his face.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," I murmured distantly.

"No, you're not. I can see your emotions, Angel. I can tell something's wrong." That was Sky, digging too deep, as usual.

"I don't want to talk about it!" I hissed angrily. Not here, not in front of all these people. Besides, I hardly knew the girl. Why would I tell her anything?

The expression on her face was stricken and sad. I was immediately overcome with guilt.

"I'm sorry, Sky," I said sincerely, "I think I'm too tired. I think it's time to leave."

She nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Besides, the kids have school tomorrow, don't they?"

Urgh. "Yes, sadly." I already dreaded waking up early.

I walked over to the couch where Sonja was now falling asleep on and scooped her up in my arms. "Hey, mon ange," I whispered in her ear. She giggled sleepily. She loved it when I called her 'angel'. "Time to go." She nodded drowsily and her breaths became deeper, slower.

"Oh, do you have to go?" Karla complained jokingly. "Your daughter is delightful. I would love to see her again. Now, I didn't get that much time with your son, but he did talk to me once, something about a Hot Wheels…"she frowned. "All boys like those things."

"Yeah, he's obsessed. Sadly, I can't buy him as many as he wants." I cursed silently. Why the hell had I just told her I was broke?

"Oh, dear! Well, now I know what to get him for Christmas." She smiled.

I found Daniel in a heated discussion with Trace over which car was the best- they seemed to be disagreeing. He kicked up a fuss when I told him it was time to leave but finally, he admitted he was tired and, after saying our farewells, we left.

When we got home, I tucked Sonja and Daniel in, poured myself a glass of red wine and sat down to watch TV. We had eaten while shopping and Xavier had fed the kids pizza for dinner.

It was about midnight when I decided to go to sleep. I had work tomorrow, and the kids had school. Then, after picking them up, I would drop them off at the Benedicts' house to go to my second job.

_So tiring _was my last coherent thought.

**...Please review! It really motivates me! :D**

Thanks for reading!  
>Manda xoxo<p> 


	8. Freak out

**Hi, guys!**

**First of all, HUGE thanks to my beta, bemyforever-x, for beta-ing (?) this so quickly!  
>Also, I would like to thank everyone who's favourited this story, etc.<strong>

**And to reply to the anonymous reviews:**

**Rosali1008: Thank you! I hope you like this chapter! :D**  
><strong>LilaVanilla: Thanks! Here's some more Will... Hope you enjoy! :)<strong>

**Disclaimer: :( I don't own Finding Sky... But I do own this story :)  
>Enjoy!<br>**

8. Freak out

The next morning was a flurry of activity. I woke Daniel, made him and Sonja some omelets, changed  
>Sonja into a skirt and t-shirt, and helped Daniel brush his teeth; all while getting changed and drinking a cup of coffee.<p>

I tugged my pencil skirt down and stared into the full-length mirror in the hall. I wore a white  
>blouse under a beige vest and couldn't help but think that I looked good. After having the kids, I had worked my ass<br>off to get back my old figure- I was close, but lately hadn't had enough time to go to the gym. Looking after two kids was enough of a work-out, anyway.

"Mama, you look really purdy!" stated Sonja when she came out from the kitchen. Daniel was already tying  
>the shoelaces of his shoes. I checked my watch. We had ten minutes. Mentally swearing, I grabbed Sonja's<br>shoes and ran to the car, my two kids following me with their school bags hanging from their shoulders.

In the car Sonja tugged her boots on and told me about how excited she was to meet a new teacher today while Daniel slept.

We arrived in the nick of time due to my crazy driving skills and the kids ran to their classrooms after a  
>quick good bye and a kiss on their cheeks.<p>

It was quarter past eight by the time I got to the café and the booths were filled with sleepy customers.  
>Annie greeted me cheerfully as I entered.<p>

"Hey you!" She waved. "You look hot!" I blinked. Had she really said that? Annie the Queen of Hot, the girl  
>who all boys went after, had called <em>me<em> hot? What was happening to the world?

"Thanks." I didn't have to tell her she looked beautiful- she already knew it.

"Hey gorgeous!" Mike embraced me warmly. "How you doing? No, wait." He studied me closely, his eyes going  
>wide as he took in the pencil skirt. I was seriously starting to regret wearing it. "Darling, you look <em>hot<em>! Don't  
>think I've seen you like this since, well, ever!"<p>

I blushed at his praise. "Thanks Mike." I was starting to notice other people staring at me, mostly guys, and  
>cringed. Jesus. The miracles of skirts.<p>

Once everyone had settled down I got to work, taking people's orders and bringing them their beverages and  
>early morning treats.<p>

The door of the café opened and, as the visitor stepped in, a hush fell over the café. I looked up from the cash  
>register and stopped dead. No, it couldn't be, what was he doing here?<p>

It was Will. Will Benedict.

"Mm-mmm. Now _that_'s what I'm talking 'bout!" Annie murmured beside me, combing her hands through her hair  
>and applying a fresh layer of lip gloss.<p>

_Mine_. I thought. I was surprised; the thought had just slipped out without me thinking…thank God I'd had my  
>shields up.<p>

"Yeah, I suppose," I agreed with Annie.

"You _suppose_? Ange, that is one huge chunk o' hotness and I'm gonna get it!" she sauntered over to Will to  
>serve him. After he had settled into his boot and been given the menu, she came back, a disgruntled expression on her face.<p>

"He didn't even look up! He's heartbroken, I bet. He had this pained expression on his face, like someone had  
>taken his heart and had torn it into shreds. I mean, who'd <em>do<em> that? I wouldn't break up with him!" I flinched  
>at her words. Me. I had broken his heart and 'torn it into shreds'. It was my fault.<p>

"Hello? Earth to Angel? Snap!" Annie waved her hands in front of my face before tapping me on the forehead.  
>"You had this, like, tortured expression on your face for a second there. Anyways, I'm off. He's downing coffee<br>after coffee!" She walked over to him again, flirting with him. Her efforts were useless, however. He just drank  
>coffee and looked miserable.<p>

About an hour passed before Annie went back to him. She returned to me and murmured, "Cheque." She then  
>went off to serve some sleepy-looking mums. Mike was serving some grandpas so I was the only one left.<p>

"Oh well," I told myself, "he won't know it's me. I'll just help him and then he'll leave." Still, it was nerve-wracking,  
>walking up to him, greeting him, telling him the sum. My hands were shaking.<p>

"Here." He handed me a tenner without even looking at me.

"Um…thanks." I put the tenner away and noticed he had looked up at me. The world around us seemed  
>to fade as he stared- just stared. It was like he was looking into my soul, or something.<p>

"Jenny," he whispered. I couldn't react. I didn't know what to say, what to do. How did he know? For a  
>second, my thoughts were a whirlwind of panic, but then I collected myself, acting nonchalant and 'human'.<p>

"What do you mean? Who's Jenny?" I asked, my voice shaking slightly. He narrowed his eyes and grabbed  
>my wrist.<p>

"Jenny. I know it's you. I can tell. Your energy, your mind, it's just so _you_. I could never forget," he said.  
>I couldn't help it; he spoke so simply, as if it was obvious, and I cracked.<p>

"How did you know?" My voice is flat and betrays no emotion.

"I can always tell." His voice was filled with so much emotion, it shook. He was caressing me with his voice,  
>talking about how grateful he was, how my soul, the way it is, was printed into his mind like the back of his hand.<p>

I got so fed up of him calling me Jenny. "I'm not Jenny Edwards. I lied. My real name's Angel Dupont," I snapped at  
>him. This didn't faze him.<p>

"I thought I'd lost you. I knew going back to your apartment wouldn't help but I didn't know anything else about  
>you. I-I was depressed and horrified that I'd let you go. My <em>soulfinder<em>." He looked at me with such a look of longing  
>and desire, passion and love that I felt my cool exterior crumble away.<p>

And then, out of nowhere, one single thought flitted through my mind:

_What about Sonja?_

He frowned. "What about her?" Crap. I had forgotten how much he seemed to be able to read from my mind.  
>What should I do? Lying seemed like the best bet but I was through with that. Somehow I doubted he'd be<br>happy to know that Sonja was Xav's child and yet he needed to know.

"Will, there's something you should know. While you were gone, Xav and I discovered something. You know  
>how when he was terrified about Summer being kidnapped, he had a one night stand? It was me he had a one night stand with."<p>

I didn't know what expect; would he be mad, not bothered or just not react at all?

He did react, as it turned out. His face was so calm it was scary, but when he spoke his voice shook with anger.

"My brother slept with you." Was all he said. I nodded slowly.

"Xav is Sonja's father. I've been meeting up with your family, getting to know them, and-"

"What!" He stood up, so suddenly that the table shook. "Come with me." He stalked out of the café  
>and I followed. I felt Mike's eyes on me, his worried gaze asking me a silent question I couldn't answer.<br>I didn't know what was happening.

When we were outside, Will whirled around and stared at me. He spoke to me telepathically.

_When were you going to tell me?_

_I didn't know until recently, Will, and besides, I didn't know where you were and I didn't want to meet up with you._

_Were you ever going to tell me if I hadn't asked?_

_Yes. I swear I would have. I wouldn't have been able to keep it from you._

_You didn't seem to have a problem keeping _away_ from me._ I flinched. It was true, though; all of it was true.  
>I didn't make anyone happy.<p>

_No, I didn't._ I agreed. I felt a jolt of shock on the other end, then Will whirled around and started to walk  
>away, anger radiating off him. I raced after him.<p>

"Will! What are you doing?"

"You're my soulfinder, Angel. And I can't fucking believe that my brother slept with you." His voice was trembling  
>again. I was getting scared. I followed him to where his car was parked and got into the passenger seat.<br>He didn't say a thing, but the silence was worth a million words. The whole ride was quiet; with me not  
>daring to say a word and him so mad he couldn't speak.<p>

_Will, please stop this._ I begged as we pulled up to the hotel where the Benedicts were staying.

_Hell no_ he replied. It was the only thing he said. He rushed into the building; the receptionist recognized  
>him and didn't ask for ID. When he saw me, he started to frown but saw that I was with Will. I followed<br>him quickly; he was so fast, taking the steps two at a time.

"Will! Stop!" I panted. He was already way ahead of me, determination written all over his face. He ignored  
>me, spikes of fury pouncing from his head into mine and I recoiled, terrified. He knocked on the door,<br>three loud, demanding knocks.

Unfortunately, it was Xav who opened the door.

**Hehe... The next chapter will be up sometime next week. I still haven't finished writing it! ;)  
>Please review! :)<br>**

**Now I have to go clean my room... :(  
>Mandaxoxo<strong>


	9. Safe House

**Disclaimer: I don't own Finding Sky, or salt and vinegar crisps.**

9. Safe House

"Will? What are you doing here?" Xav's expression was one of surprise- he had no idea what was going on.  
>He noticed me and continued, "Angel? What are you doing here?"<p>

Sky and Summer came from behind Xav and stared at us, quizzical expressions on their faces.

"Will, what's wrong? You're mad, are you okay?" Sky reached forward to touch Will's shoulder, but he pulled back  
>quickly.<p>

"I hear you have a daughter," he said curtly. His posture was rigid and formal but his hands, however, were  
>curled into fists.<p>

"Yeah, I do, but Will what's wrong?" Xav was now even more perplexed than ever, glancing at me strangely.

"You slept… with my _soulfinder_." Now Will's voice was rising and shaking, his face betrayed his anger. All Xav  
>did was blink and take a step back, shocked.<p>

"What? I…Angel's your- no. No, she can't be. Tell me it's not true!" He looked at me, and I saw desperation in  
>his eyes. <em>Fear.<em> He was scared.

"I'm… It's true, Xav, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I couldn't- I…" He was looking at me with a murderous expression,  
>and Sky and Summer were, too. I felt awful. They all hated me now, didn't they? Of course they did. Everyone does.<p>

"No, Angel, don't think like that," Will said, putting an arm around me. His chest was so warm and comforting, yet  
>I found myself pulling away.<p>

The other Benedicts were coming now, their faces registering a range of emotions: shock-bewilderment-anger-irritation.

_All my fault._ It was. It really was. I felt myself go weak and all my shields becoming useless. I felt a huge hole in  
>my head and I realised with a start that I had released my disguise. I was standing in front of them as <em>me.<em> Me,  
>Angel. The real me, not some fake version. And I hated it.<p>

I knew what they were seeing. They were seeing a girl who was far too thin, with hollow cheeks and sunken eyes.  
>A girl with empty grey eyes, and brutally cut blonde hair with shots of red and brown.<p>

They were disgusted. I could tell by the way they were looking at me with shock and horror. I felt weak. This body  
>was weak- so small, suffering so much. I had neglected it, refusing to eat. I remembered the day Stanley broke up<br>with me- that had been the day I had tried to commit suicide. In the end, I couldn't; the child in my stomach was too  
>important. I wanted a new start and when I saw the scissors, I hadn't been able to help it. I had had to cut my hair. So I did.<p>

They were still staring at me. I couldn't stand it any longer. I felt my knees go weak, my breath caught in my throat  
>and the ground came closer. A pair of strong hands caught me and Will lifted me up in his arms. He walked through<br>the hotel room to one of the bedrooms and laid me carefully on the bed.

That was when I started to cry. I didn't sob- no, it was full-on crying. My breaths came sharply and my chest hurt so  
>much I wanted to die. Worst of all, I was ashamed of myself.<p>

All the while, Will sat next to me. That was all he did. He didn't comfort me or hold me or tell me everything would be  
>okay. He just sat next to me and listened.<p>

He listened to me as I told him my story, how much I loved my children, how I hated my body. He listened to me  
>and then, when I was finished, he scooped me up in his arms and wiped away my tears.<p>

"How can you stand to be this close to me when I'm so ugly?" I asked. He shook his head and frowned.

"You're not ugly- you're the most beautiful person I've ever seen." I snorted. Great. That was ladylike.

"Yeah, right. You should hate me, I mean, you're stuck with me for the rest of your-" He silenced my ranting with a kiss.

It was so gentle, so sweet and so unlike the kisses I had shared with Stanley. It made me forget. And really,  
>forgetting was all I needed then.<p>

"And now," he cracked a smile, "I order you to eat. You're only skin and bones!" I grinned at that. It shouldn't  
>have been funny, but the way he was looking at me, that was what made it funny.<p>

"Okay, but I-" I had been about to stand up but my head spun and I felt a sharp jab behind my eyes. "Woah. I  
>have seriously been neglecting this body."<p>

"Hold on. I'll get you something- you just lie on the bed." Briefly, I wondered whose bed it was but the pain was  
>so piercing that I lay down and closed my eyes. Will returned a while later with some sandwiches, water, cookies<br>and a pack of salt and vinegar crisps. He made sure I ate everything and then stayed with me until I fell asleep.

The next few days were what I call 'lazy days'. Xav looked after the kids with Summer and they came to visit me  
>sometimes. I spent most of the day in bed and was force fed a ridiculous amount of food by Will. We would watch<br>TV together and I found out we liked the same TV shows and music.

Sometimes we would go on walks together. I loved those walks- they were peaceful and calming and I got to learn  
>a lot about Will. He was kind and compassionate and oh so sweet.<p>

Slowly, I began to look healthy again and my hair grew until it was just past my ears. Will loved my hair- he would  
>constantly be playing with it, running it through his fingers and asking me why I didn't like it.<p>

"I just don't. I don't like anything about myself. The only thing I'm proud of is having raised two beautiful children."

"You're beautiful too, you know. And you've helped me so much. I had almost given up on finding my soulfinder. You  
>gave me hope, Angel. Hope that there is good in the world."<p>

"Will… I'm not good. You said it yourself: I'm a self-obsessed bitch." My voice took on a bitter tone and his hands stopped  
>playing with my hair. He sighed and turned me around so I was looking in his eyes.<p>

"I didn't say that, Angel, and you know it. What I meant was… well, you need to escape that little shell of yours and look  
>at the world- see its beauty again. You've hidden for too long. It's time for you to join the real world, not some safe house in your head."<p>

For once, I didn't tell him to leave. Instead, I understood. I understood exactly what he meant. And I accepted it. Most  
>importantly, I accepted him.<p>

**Hi! Any of you watching the Eurovision Song Contest? It's on right now (they're repeating the songs and the voting will start soon.)  
>Anyway, a huge thanks to my beta and to anyone who has reviewed, favourited etc. this story so far! :)<strong>

**Manda**


	10. Conflict

**Bonjour! HUGE thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Every review makes me soooo happy I could scream (and I do).  
>Disclaimer: I don't own Finding Sky or Stealing Phoenix, but I do own this story and Missing Summer! :)<br>Manda xoxo  
><strong>

10. Conflict

I was happy, but there was a part of me that knew that all was not well. Xav and Will were refusing to talk and had had a huge fight one night while I was asleep. I hated feeling like I was the one who had caused a family to fight and begged Will to forget it and apologize, but he refused. It was completely irrational and stupid, and I told him so.

"Will, it's not such a big deal, is it? We were both drunk and slightly heartbroken. And think, if it hadn't been for Xav, Sonja wouldn't exist!" Fear clutched my heart. If Sonja didn't exist… No. No.

Will sat down next to me and looked down at his hands. Out of instinct, I rested my head on his shoulder. He glanced down at me. He was looking at me with… adoration? I think I was wearing the same expression.

"I know. And I try, I really do. But every time I see him, I think of you and him _together_ and I can't help but snap."

"Why, are you jealous? Because that would be crazy, you know. I lo-" I stopped myself before saying what could ruin my whole relationship with Will. "I like you too much."

He smiled softly and gently brought his hand to the side of my face. I turned my head, already anticipating the kiss I knew would come.

It was gentle, like everything Will did. _He_ was gentle, the living embodiment of gentle. Every girl's dream (though I did wonder if he ever gets fierce. 'Cause that would be hot).

"What was that for?" I asked as we ended the kiss. He grinned at me cheekily and nipped at my ear.

"Does there have to be a reason for me to want to kiss you? You're beautiful, you know that? And amazing, and fabulous and just…perfect." I swallowed hard. I didn't deserve these compliments. _He_ was amazing. _He_ was fabulous. _He _was me.

"Will, I think I'm ready to go back home." It was an abrupt change in topic, enough for him to sit back and look at me strangely.

"Really? Are you sure? You're feeling better? We can ask Xav to check, but I don't know, I mean…" He was rambling. I cut him off.

"I'm sure. I'm not made of glass, Will. Besides, I miss my home and my family. My brother and his soulfinder are probably wondering where I am. Hey, you should meet them!" He cringed and I fought back a snort. He acted all tough, but got all scared when it came to meeting Giorjio.

"I-I'll pass," he stuttered. I couldn't help myself and smiled brightly before breaking into heaps of unladylike snorts and cackles. When I had calmed down, I turned to see Will staring at me with the strangest expression on his face. It was a mixture of wonder and love. My breath became hitched and I wasn't sure how I felt about him loving me. Had I ever loved anyone, other than my kids, of course?

No. The realisation made me sad. While love was not something I thought of as necessary, it was definitely something that could support someone and make them feel less alone. I needed that.

"Hey." Will gingerly cupped my face. His warm breath rushes over my face and I sigh. Everything about him can calm me down. "You okay?"

"Yes, I am now." He smiles slightly, still worried. "I… want to ask you something, I'm just not sure how."

"I won't laugh or whatever, I swear. You can tell me anything, Angel. You know that." I did. I do.

"Hm…I just wanted to know," I swallowed nervously and rubbed my hands together. They were sweaty. Urgh, "If youwouldliketomoveinwithme." I flushed brightly and involuntarily continued talking. Great, just great. "I mean, I know you have your own apartment, but I think the kids adore you and well, I do too and I know I'd love to see you, like, all the time and well, that's the best way and I understand if you don't want to, actually, what was I thinking, you know what, it's okay, just forget I said anything." He stared at me, an amused expression on his face, and my blushed deepened. Shit.

"Angel." I hid my face behind a cushion that was lying on the sofa and exhaled deeply. "You want me to move in with you?" His tone made me peek out from behind the cushion and glance at him. He was smiling, a smile that lit up his features and showed his lovely little dimples. I loved that smile. "I have no words. I… God, yes. How could you ever think I would refuse?

I couldn't think. Wait, what? Had he just _agreed_? Was I hallucinating? I pinched myself discreetly and came to the conclusion that, no, I was not hallucinating. This was happening.

And I was happy.

I squealed happily and kissed him hard on the lips. His arms tightened around my waist and tugged me closer to him.

"Thank you," I whispered. He replied with another kiss, followed by many, many others. Did I mention he was a good kisser? Well, he is.

"Guys, guys! Jeez, get a room!" Oops. It was only then that I remembered we were in the living room. Xav had walked in on us. Talk about embarrassing.

"Whatever." Will rolled his eyes and tried to kiss me again, but I was _waay_ too humiliated to continue our make-out session. I edged away from Will, a smirk playing at the corners of my mouth when I heard his 'humph' of discontentment.

"Anyway, Angel, I know you were thinking about moving back, and you're perfectly fine now, and I'm sure Will won't starve you, so, yeah, if you want to, you can move out. I _will_ miss you and the kids. They're funny. But I suppose Will should get to spend more time with them, huh?"

Aw. Xavier had really enjoyed his time with Sonja and Daniel. They were so cute together, too, even if Sonja was kind of confused about who he was exactly.

"You know, just because Will's going to be spending more time with the kids doesn't mean you can't visit them," I said. It was only then that I noticed the tension in the room. The two brothers were staring each other down, their facial expressions both mad and angry.

_Will. _My tone was exhausted and no-nonsense. It was the tone I used around my kids when they were purposefully acting dumb. They didn't do it often, but, being little kids who were cute and got quite a bit of attention, it wasn't a surprise when Sonja started doing it.

Will's attention immediately snapped from Xav to me. The hard look in his eyes was gone, replaced by a calm, serene look full of bliss and joy. I felt my resolve to reprimand him dissolve as I stared into those gorgeous eyes of his.

_Please stop. _I pleaded with him. He nodded slightly and leaned back, refusing to look Xav in the eyes. I sighed. I didn't know what was better: him not speaking to him, or fighting with him.

This problem was going to take a long time to solve.

**What did you think? The next chapters should be up soon.  
>Bye!<br>**


	11. Unpeaceful

**Hi! :) **

**HUGE thanks to my beta, bemyforever-x, for correcting my pathetic mistakes!  
>And a ginormous thanks to everyone whose favourited, alerted or reviewed this story! Muah!<br>So, without further ado, here is chapter 11!  
>Disclaimer: See other disclaimers.<br>Manda xoxo  
><strong>

11. _Un_peaceful

Two weeks later and I was back at home, cleaning the mess Xav had made in the kitchen. Summer had apologized profoundly and given him a proper telling-off, but I had just laughed it off.

The kids were constantly telling me how much fun they had had with Xav and I listened, smiling. Inside, I wondered whether they would ever understand exactly what had happened. I dreaded having to explain it.

Will had moved in with us. He loved the kids, and they loved him. We would spend every evening playing games and chatting and then, when the kids were asleep, I'd wash up the dishes and he'd dry them, so we would stand side by side, not saying a word, just grinning at each other every time our eyes met.

I hadn't known that having a soulfinder would be so fulfilling. He was a part of me now, like one half of my soul I couldn't live without. I had realised that I loved him, but I didn't know if he felt the same. I was still wary, especially since Stanley had told me to get out when I'd told him I was pregnant. I had thought at the time that that was my fault, but now I understood that I was not to blame. I had done nothing wrong.

One evening, after I had tucked the kids in and we had finished washing up, I sat on the sofa with him by my side. I rested in his arms, against his chest, listening to the steady drum of his heartbeat. And then I said it, because it seemed right.

"I love you." We both spoke at the same time. We stared at each other, wonder in both of our eyes, and then he kissed me. The kiss was deep and meaningful, full of the words we had just spoken to each other.

_I love you._ I repeated.

_I love you too_ he replied. And then, as if to prove it, he lifted me in his arms and carried me to the bedroom.

The next morning, I woke up with Will slumbering next to me. I was naked. He was naked. And yesterday had been…well, he'd say awesome. I'd say the best night of my life.

He stirred beside me. I smiled as he blinked drowsily. His gaze settled on me and then his face broke out into the biggest smile I had ever seen. He leaned in to kiss me, but I pulled back, closing my mouth abruptly.

_Morning breath_ was my explanation. He chuckled and kissed me anyway.

_I don't care._ We pulled apart and I started to giggle for some reason unbeknownst to me.

"Last night was… amazing. Thank you," I whispered once I'd calmed down. He nodded, suddenly serious.

"Yeah, it was…" He started to laugh, "Awesome!" I rolled my eyes. He was such a kid.

"We need to get up. The kids have school, I have work and you have whatever it is you do for a living." All of a sudden I felt quite shy. No one, with the exception of my brother when we were little and forced to take baths together, had seen me with nothing on before.

"Hey, it's okay." Will sensed my hesitation and tucked a little wisp of hair behind my ear. "You have nothing to be ashamed of."

His words gave me strength and I got out of bed. I still didn't have enough confidence to stay like that for long, though, and quickly pulled on some jeans and a t-shirt.

"Can you go wake the kids up? I'll cook some eggs, boil some tea." He made a face. "Oh, yeah, you don't like tea. Coffee instead?" He nodded eagerly. "Black." Another nod. He hopped out of bed and got changed. I walked out the room and started making breakfast.

My only job was at the café now. Will was the head of one of the departments of a hotel chain and, of course, an agent for the Savant Net. Together we didn't earn a lot, but we earned enough to survive. Slowly, a kind of harmony came to existence, a routine that, although it was the same almost every single day, was different for some reason.

Every day with Will was an adventure. I learned new things about him and he learned new things about me. And then, one day, that peace was destroyed by one single person: Ms. Roland.

**...Please review! Did you like it? Hate it? Anything to be improved?  
>Thanks for reading and until next time, au revoir, mes anges!<strong>

**Manda xoxo  
><strong>


	12. Soul:Found

**Currently, I am in a bad mood. I just wrote the whole AN and do you know what happened? No?  
>The whole thing shut down! So here I am, writing it again.<strong>

**Moving on, moving on...**  
><strong>I *love* the title to this chapter! Because I suck at coming up with titles!<strong>

**Um...**  
><strong>Anyone else excited about Seeking Crystal? That was a stupid question- of course you are!<strong>  
><strong>My own theory: Xav and Diamond think they're soulfinders, get married. Crystal finds out Xav's actually <em>her<em> soulfinder! :O**  
><strong>Drama!<strong>

**Okay, and to all Doctor Who fans: What do you think of Jenna-Louise Coleman as the next companion? I personally will miss the Ponds... but am excited nonetheless!**

**I'll stop blabbering now. Here's the next chapter.**  
><strong>Disclamier: See other disclamier (I seem to be incapable of spelling disclaimer)<strong>  
><strong>Manda xoxo<strong>

12. Soul:Found

Of course I had seen it coming. Bullies like Hannah and Gavin Roland don't let anything faze them for long.

It was Thursday and I was picking up the kids. Will was still at work and we'd go get him from there afterwards.

I didn't think anything was unusual. In fact, I was waiting in the playground with all the other mothers for the kids to be led outside by their teachers. The bell rang and Daniel and Sonja were one of the first to run out of the building, worried expressions on their faces.

"Ms. Roland wants to talk to you, Mummy!" Daniel informed me. He was concerned; he knew the problems I had with her, especially since I ranted about her a _lot_.

"Okay guys, you can play in the playground until Mummy finishes talking to her, okay?" They nodded, brightening at the prospect of a few minutes of play time. I walked into the school building, thinking that maybe Daniel had written an exceptional story or something in English. Hey, a mum can dream, right?

I sauntered into Daniel's classroom and noticed straightaway that something was wrong. Ms. Roland (or Hannah) was sitting at her desk, a grave expression on her face. She gestured to the seat in front of her when she saw me enter and I sat down, heart beating. Obviously, Daniel had not written an amazing piece of literature.

"Good day, Ms. Dupont," was all she said. She waited, as if waiting for me to reply. I didn't give her that satisfaction. Once it became clear I wouldn't say anything, she sighed and leaned forward in her seat. The chair creaked as she set her hands on the desk in front of her. Her left eye twitched. "Today, I was horrified by Daniel." Again, she didn't say anything after that. And again, I did not say anything, even though a storm was brewing in the pit of my stomach.

"I asked the children to draw a painting of their family, and then to describe it. She reached beneath the table and pulled out a sheet of paper. I noticed Daniel's handwriting on it under stick figures. Six of them.

"Yes," she said when she realized I was counting the figures. "Obviously, I knew at once something was wrong. You don't have five children, do you, Ms. Dupont? You don't even have a husband." She smirked. "So I asked Daniel, who are those people, and he said: That's my mum." She pointed to the stick figure who had a skirt and yellow hair, "That's my sister and me." Two little stick figures, one girl, one boy, "And those are my dads." The last three figures. Two of them with dark hair like Xav and Will and one with dark skin like Stanley. I winced.

"I decided not to ask your son who these three men are, because I already know. These are the men you've slept with." The outrage in her voice, the anger in her eyes- it was too much for me to cope with. "So, I take back what I said a few months ago. Ms. Dupont, I wouldn't hesitate to call you a _slut_."

Somewhere in the back of my mind a voice told me that there were people who had slept with way more men than I had, and they weren't any closer to being a slut than I was. But the less confident, broken part of me agreed with everything she said. I _was_ a slut.

She seemed to realize that she had found my weakness, since she kept attacking me with her words.

"I don't know how you do it, how you can live with yourself. Do you think of yourself as a role model? Do you want your kids to take after you when they grow up? They're well on their way there. And so, Ms. Dupont, I bid you farewell. I hope this has taught you something."

On the way back to the playground, I ducked into one of the bathrooms and bawled my eyes out. Once I had finished, I wiped at my face and removed all traces of having cried by changing my eyes into a beautiful brown. They were deeper set and slightly narrower, giving me a scholarly look. Satisfied, I stepped out of the restroom, called the kids and started to drive to Will's workplace.

The kids didn't question me about what had happened. They knew and they also knew not to ask questions. Of _course_ they had seen my eyes, of _course_ they had seen the slight tremble in my hands, but they didn't comment on them. And I loved them for it.

Will was waiting outside the tall building, sitting on a bench and chatting to his colleagues. The kids got out and rushed over to him, hopping around happily and telling him about their day. _Covering for me._

"Hey, Angel." I didn't get out of the car. Will got into the passenger seat and smiled. I did not return his smile. _Slut._ That was what I was.

He finally seemed to notice that something was amiss. We drove back home in silence. He didn't say a word, not in front of the kids. He could have talked to me telepathically, of course, but somehow he knew that this was a conversation that would be better spoken out loud.

He was different today. His face was sullen, something in him was _sad._ I wondered why. Probably because he had me as a soulfinder. And what a joke I was.

We arrived home and the kids silently gathered their belongings and walked to their rooms. I somehow managed to get to the living room, then curled myself up on the sofa and tried to stop the tears from coming. _Pathetic._ Her voice penetrated the hard shell I had built around myself and a sob burst out of my mouth. I started to breathe, quicker and quicker, until I was gasping for breath. Where was Will? Where was he?

"Angel!" he took me in his arms, snuggling me closer to his chest. I didn't rest my head against it. Not today. I tried to pull away, but I felt weak.

"What's wrong, baby?" He didn't try to touch me again. Somehow, that hurt even more. I shook my head and placed my hand in front of my mouth, trying to still the sobs rising from my chest.

"Please say something, anything!" He moved closer to me on the sofa his concerned face hovered centimeters above mine, and I heard it: his thoughts, loud and clear, the same words pounding through his brain over and over again.

_Marriage._ _Proposal. Today._

That was why he had been so happy before he had seen me. He had been about to propose to me, somehow. The tears, which I thought had been spent in the restroom of the school, finally came. And it was a tidal wave of fury, sadness, guilt. A thousand 'what if's flew through my head and I let them.

What if I had never met Stanley? Or Xav? Or Will? What if I had been sick the day I met Sky at the restaurant? What if…?

As I calmed down, I realised it wouldn't have mattered. Will and I, our souls were connected. We were _soulfinders_. I would have found him one way or another.

"You okay?" Will asked when I wiped my tears and cuddled into him. I nodded, not trusting myself to tell him what had happened.

"I'm sorry," I said instead. "I ruined your surprise." He blinked. I felt worse. Why hadn't I pretended not to know and then acted surprised when he had proposed. It was too late now.

"That's fine. I'm glad you're okay." We sat there for a while, drinking in each other, before I breathed out and decided to tell him.

"I was called in after school by Daniel's English teacher, Ms. Roland. She said…" I shuddered. "Terrible things. I lost it. And I didn't get angry. I cried. She said I was a…" My voice faded into a whisper and I bit my lip, feeling the tears in my eyes but stopping them from falling.

_Slut._ I didn't trust myself to say the word out loud, not anymore. I saw every single thing that I had ever done that could be considered slutty and multiplied it by a hundred. And I forgot how good a mother I was, and how I had cared for my children and raised them to be lovely and caring. I forgot that my relationship with Stanley had been full of love, and so was my relationship with Will. I forgot that not even my one-night stand with Xav could be considered slutty.

"What!" His reaction was instantaneous. His head shot up, his cheeks flushed and his hands curled up into fists. His teeth were clenched, his left eye twitched. And then, slowly, ever so slowly, he took a deep breath and reclined in the seat, closing his eyes. He opened them after a few seconds and then took both my hands in his warm, familiar ones and kissed them, first left, then right, all the while staring me deep in the eyes.

My heart started to beat at a wholly unhealthy pace and my hands would have been shaking had he not been holding them. I tried to breathe and managed sharp, piercing gasps that hurt my chest.

Even last night, the best night of my existence, had not felt this real, or this scary. It was as if Will was looking into my very soul. In that moment, I finally understood the word 'soulfinder'. Will was the one who had found my soul. And then he had mended it, brick for brick for brick.

I had never felt more alive.

I leaned in slowly; my breath seemed to loud for this moment of utter peace. I couldn't have explained my feelings. But I could try my best. And I did.

"I love you." The words didn't seem enough. Will deserved more. Better words. I needed better words. "Je t'aime." The same words were repeated in all the other languages I knew, but even then, they weren't enough. I leaned my forehead against his. I stared into his eyes. I knew what "words are not enough" meant now. So I kissed him.

I'll spare you the details. You're probably sick of kiss after kiss after kiss, explained in great detail. But this kiss… well, it was amazing. It made me realize that I didn't care what Ms. Roland said and I certainly was no slut.

**...Ta da! Thanks for reading!  
><strong>


	13. Angel in White

**Disclaimer: I don't own Finding Sky, Stealing Phoenix or Seeking Crystal.**

13. Angel in White

"Right, you two, I'm tired of watching you ignore each other like two immature teenagers. You better apologise!" I put my hands on my hips and grimaced as I stared Will and Xav down. They had the grace to look a bit frightened.

"Angel's right. Don't do this anymore, there's no point! Will, you don't _really_ want to ignore Xav for life, do you? And besides, think how much nicer your date will be if Angel's really pleased with you! Xav, I already spoke with you about this. You even _agreed_ it was stupid."

I was glad Summer was backing me. She had been so nice to me when I'd asked her what I could do about the two boys fighting. I knew she had sisters and brothers and that she was extremely close to her cousins. She'd told me that I had to speak to them, both of them. And before our date.

Yeah. I couldn't believe it either. Will and I were going on a date, without the kids. Just the two of us, alone. At a restaurant which was specifically for couples, with candles as the only source of light and deep red curtains.

It was going to be _so_ awesome.

"Well, I couldn't bring myself to apologize first!" Xav exclaimed angrily. "I wanted him to say sorry first, you know?" He ran a hand through his hair, aggravated. "But he obviously doesn't want to apologize, so why should I?"

I almost burst out laughing. Seriously? Were we in kindergarten?

"What? I was waiting for _you_ to apologize to _me_!" Will glared at his younger brother, pointing an accusing finger at him.

Summer and I glanced at each other, and then started to giggle hysterically. For me, it wasn't so much that it was funny but I was so nervous, I had to let it out. The two brothers glared at us, annoyed.

"God. Seriously, just apologize at the _same time_, then!" Summer rolled her eyes, still smiling. "Boys." She stuck her tongue out at Xav.

The two boys stared at each other and I could tell that their conversation was in their heads, just for the two of them. Summer and I left the room in one synchronized movement, and then she took my arm and tugged me upstairs.

"Xav's going to say sorry, but now we _have_ to get you ready for your date. You have," she glanced at her watch, "an hour. Barely enough. But that's alright. The girls can work miracles." We were in Summer and Xav's hotel room and she led me to bathroom where, surprise, surprise, Sky and Phoenix were chatting with each other. A curling iron was heating up on the edge of the sink and a huge box of make-up had been opened up, the products spilling out as if there had been a make-up explosion. Nail varnish of all colours lined the far edge of the counter and hanging from the door was the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. It was as white as an angel's wings, with a startlingly low V-neckline which had intricate patterns on the edge that looked like little feathers. A tight white silk belt at the waist that flowed into a long, A-line skirt made of silk chiffon that felt as soft as Will's kisses between my fingers. There was another skirt under it, giving it an appearance of weightlessness, as if the wearer could fly off at any minute.

"Why…what…who?" I couldn't even manage a single sentence as my fingers caressed every single fold of the dress, already imagining me in it, anxious to be in it, to show Will the dress.

"We all bought it, together. Isn't it great? We thought it would match you. We thought you'd look like an angel." Phoenix smiled. I felt grateful and at the same time, I felt the impulse to step back from the dress and say I couldn't take it, because I didn't deserve it. But I didn't say it. I wanted the dress.

"Thank you." I hugged each one. They were getting impatient and demanded I try the dress on. I did, feeling the light fabric slip over my skin and smelling the rose perfume on the dress. I closed my eyes, breathed in deeply and was about to look in the mirror when I heard a loud scuffling and a sweeping noise. I opened my eyes and saw that the girls had placed a black cloth over the mirrors.

"You're not looking at yourself until we're finished," Sky said stubbornly. I nodded and put on a bathrobe over the dress so it wouldn't get dirty.

They got to work. Phoenix worked hard on the make-up, clearing away every blemish with concealer and foundation. She used so many products that I didn't know, I stopped asking questions about five minutes in. Sky pushed back the cuticles of my nails and cut them so that they were almost square at the edges, then applied a base coat to my nails. She chattered away happily about how amazing her wedding had been and I didn't even feel bad that I hadn't been invited. Summer worked on my hair. I was burnt by the curling iron twice and she apologized profusely both times.

All the while, I wondered what I looked like, if Will would like it, and if the kids were alright. They were going to spend the day with the Benedicts, and basically meet the family.

When they had finished, Sky ordered me to close my eyes. I did, and listened as the girls added the finishing touches and then the sound of fabric as the cloth was removed from the mirror. I opened my eyes slowly, and then I gasped in surprise.

I looked like an angel.

I walked to the main living space of the hotel room slowly, full of dread and nervousness and all those feelings that you'd think I had left behind in high school. But no, my French manicured hands were shaking and kept on sliding a hand through the mass of loose corkscrew-curls that floated past my shoulders. Summer had put something in them that made them shine like a halo.

I heard Will's voice, his laugh and sighed in relief. The brothers were talking to

each other. All was good.

My feet wobbled in the slightly too big white high heels that Phoenix had seemingly produced out of thin air. I inhaled deeply, closed my eyes, and stepped into the room. "…so then Zed was just like 'what da hell?' and he threw the snowballs into her face!" Will guffawed and Xav beat his fist on the table. Their backs were to me. I bit my lip, then stopped abruptly, remembering the masses of lipstick and lipgloss that Phoenix had smothered onto them. I felt my teeth with my tongue, frowning. Hopefully there was no lipstick on my teeth.

Xav was the one who turned around. I bet Summer had said something to him. The girls were probably outside, their ears pressed against the walls. The thought brought a smile to my lips.

"Dude." Xav elbowed Will, who was already turning around anyway. As soon as he saw me, his mouth dropped open and all he did was stare. Xav stood up and headed out of the door, snorting quietly.

I smiled gently and made my way towards him. When I stood right in front of him, he took my hands and breathed in as if to talk, then exhaled, his eyes still wide.

"Don't you like it?" I asked. Uncertainty flitted through me even though I thought I looked nice. But he shook his head quickly and tugged at my hand. I sat down and he whispered, "My soulfinder is an angel," right in my ear. His breath tickled loose strands of hair on my neck and I wrapped my arms around him.

"We should go," he said after a while. I nodded and he stood up, and then helped me to my feet.

"I feel like a teenager again. Or like I'm going to prom with my date."

His hand tightened around mine. "You went to prom?"

Oh, bless him. He was jealous.

"Yeah. But you probably did, too, huh? You most likely had all the girls swarming after you." I was surprised to hear the envy in _my_ voice now. His grip on my hand loosened. We were swimming through dangerous waters now.

"Yeah. Kinda. But who did you go to prom with?" The annoyed tone was in his voice again.

"Who do you think, you idiot? Stanley, of course." I had told Will about my childhood on one of our walks- he'd listened, and said that he would pound Stanley into the ground if he ever met him.

Will opened the front door of the room and let me out before him, then slipped his arm around my waist.

"I still can't believe you went out with that jerk," he murmured gently.

"He was good for me, Will. I needed _something_, and that was what he was. Like…a support system."

"Hmph." We walked out of the hotel and Will brought us to his car. He let me into the passenger seat, then walked around to the other side of the car and hopped into the driver's seat.

"Back to you," I stated softly, trying to keep the mood light even though I felt _so_ jealous. "Who did you go to prom with?"

"Um…" He started the car and frowned. "Trish…Trin…yeah, that's right, Trinity. I didn't really…" He breathed in deeply. "I liked the girls I dated, but I didn't love them." He glanced at me. "You really _do_ look beautiful, you know. And I love you more than I ever thought I could love anyone. Never forget it." All notions of a jealous rage flew out the window and warmth filled my heart instead.

"I love you. I love you so much it hurts." His eyes lit up as I spoke the words.

We arrived at the restaurant about five minutes later. A wooden sign hung from the side of the pale cream-coloured building and announced that the restaurant's name was "Mon Ange". I smiled as I thought of my children. Steps led up to the front porch. The railings were steel painted in black and there were two lanterns hanging to the left and the right of the wooden door which had squares of glass in it. Red roses were planted here and there and there was another sign that had today's menu and a little cherub angel in the left-hand corner. I held Will's hand tightly as he led us through to the inside of the restaurant.

The huge dining room was filled with the sounds of laughter, conversation and live classical music. Waiters and waitresses wearing black and white suits and dresses walked silently to serve their customers. I felt a pang of sympathy for them. Waitressing is hard; you're constantly ignored and never thanked. Either that or my customers thus far had been plain rude.

A balding short man greeted us and led us to a table in the far corner of the restaurant. The only light was from the rose-scented candles that were placed in the center of each table for two. There were _only_ tables for two.

The table was covered in a red tablecloth. There was a thin tall vase with one rose in it and a candle that glowed brightly on the tabletop. The seats were comfortable to sit in so I leaned back and smiled at Will. For a while no one said anything, then:

"Tell me more about growing up." Will spoke softly. He knew this topic was a hard one for me, but I could tell him. I had to.

"I was born in France. My mother was Italian, my dad was French. They were soulfinders. I was happy with them. We weren't very rich but we weren't poor, either. And Giorjio was not that bad as far as big brothers go.

I remember we went to the beach once. I loved the beach- I hated the water, but I loved the feel of the sand beneath my feet and in between my toes. And I loved that smell of salt and fresh air and _life_. I would sit on a towel and watch as my family bathed in the water, they invited me in, but I always refused.

I was happy. That much I still know. And then my parents died." The last words left a bitter taste in my mouth. Will opened his mouth to speak but then the waiter came. He was a tall man in his mid-twenties, quite lanky and awkward but still managing to blend into the background of the restaurant.

"Good evening." His voice was quite high and had a nervous tremor in it. "Welcome to Mon Ange, I'm your server for today, my name is Quentin and here are your menus." He somehow managed to link all the sentences into each other in a nervous babble. I smiled, trying to reassure him. Quentin blushed and stammered that he'd be back to take our order, then left us.

"That guy…" Will shook his head. "The warning bells were going off in my head. He was totally checking you out."

That reminded me. "Your gift is to sense danger, isn't it?" I demanded. Then I noticed the amused look in his eyes and repeated the question, quieter and calmer.

He nodded. "Yeah. It's also my dad's gift. Pretty handy, especially if my soulfinder being looked at in a way that's less than appropriate." He thought for a while. "Then again, if they didn't look at you like they thought you were beautiful, I'd be mad as well."

I scoffed. "I'm not that beautiful, Will. What I _really_ want to know, though, is what it's like. Do you feel something, or what exactly happens?"

He arched an eyebrow, looking at me with such a strange expression on his face that I thought I had asked something weird. I hadn't, had I? "No one's ever asked me that before," he admitted. "You _are_ beautiful, and it kind of feels like a sense of dread, or a thread that tugs at my heart. It gets the adrenaline pumping, makes me ready for any type of danger."

I grinned. "Like guys thinking I'm cute or not thinking I'm cute."

"_Exactly_!" he agreed.

We fell silent as we studied the menus. Everything looked delicious, but there were two that jumped out me. I couldn't decide which one to take.

"Should I take the boeuf bourguignon or the chateaubriand?"

"Which should I take: the beef stuff or the steak?" We laughed as we realised that we meant the same foods.

"I'll order the beef; you take the steak. We'll share." I decided. He nodded and Quentin came back. Now that I paid attention to it, he was indeed staring at me. Will shifted uncomfortably in his seat. I blushed.

"We'll take the beef with the green beans and the steak with the broccoli and potatoes. Thanks. And some water," Will snapped. I was still amused about his jealousy and hid behind my menu to disguise my laugher. The waiter stared at me curiously as he retrieved the menus and went back to the kitchens.

"Now," he said, leaning back in his chair and placing his hands behind his head, "How did you pronounce that stuff?"

"What? The bourguignon or the chateaubriand?" I asked, grinning cheekily. He rolled his eyes and moved forward until his face was right next to mine, his breath warm against my face. I felt dizzy. He knew the effect he had on me and he was using it against me mercilessly.

"I-I," I stuttered. He winked at me and leaned back again, looking around innocently. I scrunched my face up, annoyed and amused at the same time.

"Both," he stated, and it took me a while to comprehend what he was saying. I complied.

"Um…" I started, not sure exactly how to explain it to him best. When I was little, I had always wanted to be a teacher and had spent hours with my teddy bear Sniffle and stuffed elephant Gee Gee pretending to be a teacher. "Bourguignon is pretty easy to pronounce, just the French like making the spelling all complicated. It's like: bur-gin-yon. Easy-peasy!"

"…Burrginyo?" He looked at me incredulously. "How do you do it?" I laughed.

"Let's try chateaubriand. That's even easier!"

"Really?" He seemed unconvinced. I nodded enthusiastically.

"Sha-toe-bria. That's basically how to pronounce it. The 'a' is like 'a' cat, 'a' dog, 'a' yacht."

"Hey, did you know that French," Will grinned, "is the language of _love_?" He whispered the last part. I started to laugh uncontrollably. "What I mean is that it sounds damn sexy when you speak French."

I stopped laughing. Was he taking the mickey out of me? I had no idea.

"No, I'm not. I mean it, I swear to God." Quentin returned with bread and wine.

"Wine for my fair lady," he sang as he poured me a glass. I think Will growled.

"Merci," I muttered. I grabbed a piece of bread and dipped it aggressively into the plate with the olive oil and the vinegar. Will cocked an eyebrow and gave me a questioning look.

"Fair lady. It's what Stanley used to call me, especially when he was about to ask for money to buy cigarettes." The two words brought back unwanted memories, I pushed them away hastily.

"What was it like?" Will asked quietly. "The first few years with Daniel."

"Dreadful. I had no idea what to do, or who to go to. I remember he once had fever and I was so lost, I deluded myself into thinking Stanley would help me. Surprise, surprise, he sent me away. I went to the doctor and he looked at me like 'oh, she's _that_ kind of woman'. In the waiting room I met Natasha.

"She was extremely kind, and helped me more than I thought possible. I was devastated when I found out she had left." I had been more than devastated: I had cried for weeks until I had pulled myself together, knowing that Daniel and Sonja needed someone strong.

"It was hard," Will concluded and I nodded. It had been hard, harder than he could imagine, but he understood at least a bit more than others. For that I was grateful.

"What about you? Where did you grow up? What is your favourite thing to do? Do you have any bad habits? Secrets? Pet peeves?" I shot out the questions rapidly before stopping to look at him.

"Uh…I grew up in Wrickenridge, as you probably know…My gift is to sense danger, as you also already know…I'm scared, like really scared, of ants…"

"Wait, what?" I couldn't believe my ears. "You're scared of _ants_? How's that possible?" I thought about for a while. "You have Myrmecophobia…right?"

"What?" he stared at me, dumbfounded, and I explained hastily.

"I have a lot of phobias, like Monophobia, that's fear of small things. I researched phobias for most of my life. I'm also scared out of my life of returning home, my old home, where Stanley lives." I felt like I was stripping every bit of protection that I had ever built up around me. But I told him, because he would understand.

"Oh. Well, I think my Mymrmocophobia thing-"

"Myrmecophobia."

"-Yeah, yeah. I think it started when Xav shoved a jar of ants with the lid open, into my bed when I was a kid. It was a _very_ traumatizing experience."

"I can imagine." I grabbed another piece of bread and bit off a piece, extremely conscious of the fact that Will was staring at me, amused. "Pet peeves?"

"Hmm…It annoys me when people don't shut up when people obviously want to talk. Back home, there as this woman who just _would not_ be quiet. Seriously, you had to run away as soon as you saw her!" He chuckled at the memory and took a piece of bread as well. "What about you?"

"I'm not sure if I have a pet peeve…Oh! Yeah, I do, actually. I get so annoyed when people whistle and clip their fingers and tap their feet all at the same time." Will scrunched his eyebrows together, confused. "I have no idea why it annoys me, it just does."

"That _is_ weird," I admitted. He grinned before focusing his attention on something behind me. A second later, Quentin appeared by my side with two plates laden with food. I breathed in the lovely aroma and stared, transfixed, as he placed a plate in front of me. I hadn't realised I was hungry, but now my stomach grumbled as I glanced upon the piece of art in front of me.

_Woah. I've never eaten food this nice-looking before. _I admitted. Will grinned at me as Quentin placed the other platter in front of him.

_There's a first time for everything._ He reminded me. I nodded. Just as I was about to drink a sip of my wine, a huge, red, pointy _thing_ was stuck under my nose. I drew back, surprised, before calming down enough to see that it was a rose. A hand was wrapped around it, with wet palms and clean fingernails. The hand was connected to an arm, and the arm was connected to Quentin. I sighed.

"A rose for a rose," he stated. I took the rose, vowing to get rid of it later on. All I wanted was for him to go away and leave Will and me alone.

"Thank you," I murmured. He turned red and slipped away. When I looked up, Will was glaring at me.

"You shouldn't lead him on like that, y'know?" He said his jaw twitching as he tried to calm down. I rolled my eyes.

"You're so jealous," I teased. He shook his head.

"I know you could never leave me. You and I…as cliché as this sounds, are two halves of a whole. We're soulfinders."

"That _does_ sound cliché, but I get what you mean. There's something here," I put my hand over my heart, "that draws me to you. Big time." He started to smirk cockily, so I added, "Don't get _too_ big-headed, though."

We tucked into the food. The flavours were amazing; so different, and yet somehow they complemented one another. Just like the Benedicts, I realised. They were all different, unique, but they had their place in the family. If even one of them didn't exist, they wouldn't be the Benedicts anymore.

"This is _delicious_!" Will cried out enthusiastically. I smiled and opened my mouth, waiting. He fed me the beef and some salad and I agreed: it was amazing.

"Try some chateaubriand." I fed him and we continued eating, exchanging a few words but mainly concentrating on eating. I was _starving_.

We switched plates once we had eaten half. All the while I stole glances at Will. I noticed him doing the same to me, too, and felt shy for some reason. Nervousness piled up in my stomach, a kind of agitation I hadn't felt since the kids had been born.

When we had finished, we split the bill (I had to convince Will. Sometimes his caveman-like behavior horrified me) and walked out the restaurant to the car. A kind of tension had been building up by the end of the date and I felt a huge knot in my stomach. I couldn't help thinking about little things like how soft his lips looked, how adorable his face looked when he was concentrated, how his big hands cupped mine and led me to the car gently. I wanted him. I needed him.

"You okay?" he asked as he started the car.

"No." I was starting to shake, trying so hard to control myself. What was wrong with me, anyway?

He stopped the engine and turned to face me. "Hey." His eyes were filled with concern. "You can tell me."

"I don't know. It's just…" Now that I thought about it, it all sounded rather petty. "I want you," I whispered. It _did_ sound petty, something out of a terrible romance novel.

"Well," he started. "Well, we can't have that now, can we?" And then he kissed me.

When we arrived back home, Sonja and Daniel were still wide awake. For a second I felt mad because Xav and Summer had been supposed to put them to bed two hours earlier, but then I saw the looks on my children's' faces. Pure joy spread across their faces.

"Hey, guys!" I laughed and pulled them close to me. "How are you? What did you do with Xav and Summer?"

"Mum!" Sonja jumped up and down. "I…I got my gift! Look!" She spread her fingers and held her hand in front of her face. She closed her eyes and for a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, slowly, a faint light seemed to ignite in palm of her hand, from _inside_ her hand. Soon, her whole hand was shining brightly. I had to close my eyes for a second.

"That's amazing, Sonja," I informed her truthfully. I was delighted. I hugged her close.

"It's so cool, mum!" Daniel cried out loud. He took Sonja's hand in his own and immediately his own was lit up too.

I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. Today had been a perfect day. In fact, it had been the best day of my whole life.

* * *

><p><strong>Hi!<br>****So, while I am extremely excited about Seeking Crystal, I was also very excited about the Golden Lily by Richelle Mead coming out, and I read it yesterday, and it is awesome!  
>Hm...Well, this chapter was just a bit of fun and I loved to write it. Also, I'm sick and tired of Angel moaning about how pathetic she is, so be prepared for many changes in the next chapter.<strong>

**This story is, sadly, going to end soon. A few more things still need to happen, including Will meeting Giorjio!  
>I am planning a Twilight fanfiction, so stay tuned! And here is a bit of Betraying Jon, the sequel to this story!<br>**

London, 1912

The man was being followed.

Gosh, that makes it sound so scary, doesn't it? But it's not, not really, because I'm the one following him. He's a big man with muscles the size of boulders and he's about twice my size. A terrifying man, definitely.

He's walking along the streets of London, his feet making no sound as his shoes touch the stone pavement. His light brown hair is kept hidden beneath a bowler hat. He has on a suit, but you can't see it 'cos he's wearing a coat over it. I only know because I saw it when he left the house, buttoning the coat up.

_He_ is Edward Price, the great-grandfather of one of the greatest savants in the Savant Net. No matter. He doesn't know that yet. And besides, once I'm done with him, it won't ever happen.

I can't help feel a twinge of guilt as I think that. He has a family; a wife, siblings, parents and he's ridden with sadness. His sister and  
>her family died only two days ago; 15th April 1912. They were on board the RMS Titanic. It wasn't coincidence and that's why he's also ridden with guilt. He convinced her to go. Before that she hadn't been sure if she should go. Only her son survived.<p>

It's not his fault, though. I'm the one who convinced _him_ to convince _her. _It was to get rid of the rest of the family. _I'm_ not guilty. I did my duty and now, once I learn just one more name, he will no longer be needed.

He's stopped walking. At first I'm not sure why, then I realise he's noticed I'm there, watching him from behind a house.

**...Please tell me what you think, whether it be good or bad!  
><strong>

**Now, I must go take care of my fever-ridden sister. *sigh*  
>Manda xoxo<br>**


	14. And Push!

**Hi guys!**

**So, saving Angel is going to end soon, but I still need to get through a couple of things. Then, I'll probably upload Betraying Jon. So, I hope you enjoy this chapter (believe me when I say I had no idea how these things work, my only experience being from watching Friends).**

**Huge thanks to my beta for being so patient with me, even when I forget to attach the document in the email, like every time!**

**Manda xoxo**

14. And…Push!

Life just can't get any better than this. I probably say this every time I experience something better than average, but this, this is really ridiculous. How did I ever get so damn lucky? What did I do to deserve such a great life? Such a great guy?

The old me would say I don't deserve it all. But the truth was, I did. I've done more than others could ever imagine. I'm not trying to sound full of myself. It's just, well. I think it's about time I got some kind of reward.

"I love you," I said to Will, who was lying beside me. He kissed me before getting up. It was a school day and Will and I had decided to drop the kids off together. He was acting like it's just because he wanted to see the school, but I knew better. He wanted to give Ms. Roland a right telling off. But she wasn't worth it.

"Will?" I murmured.

"Hm?" He took my hand and helped me up. Together, we headed into the kitchen and started to prepare breakfast in a perfect movement. He set the table while I took eggs and ham out of the fridge, then he took the eggs out of my hands while I started toasting bread.

"Don't do it," I said while we were bustling about busily. "She's not worth it."

He got some plates out and set them on the counter, then whirled around to face me.

"I know. But…I just don't like knowing that people are hurting you." I laid one piece of bread on each plate and he put the fried eggs and ham on top. The kids came in, drowsy and tired but still perfectly on time.

"Good morning, guys!" Will hugged them before starting to wolf down his breakfast and coffee. I sighed.

_ Will, I really don't give a shit about that anymore. All that matters is that I have you and my kids. That's all I need to be happy, and no one can tell me that I don't deserve you. I do. _

_ …Fine. If it's what you want, then I won't confront the witch. But don't let her diss you, 'kay? _

_ I'll just ignore her. Who cares about her, anyway?_ This whole exchange happened while the kids argued about who got sit where in the car and we all ate breakfast as quickly as possible.

We were ready ten minutes later. I didn't have work today, neither did Will, so once we had dropped the kids off (without a confrontation with 's-her-name, thank God) and we were just about to head off to a really nice restaurant when my mobile rang.

"Hello, Angel Dupont speaking," I said, not bothering to check who it was beforehand. My brother greeted me, sounding absolutely terrified and scared out of his mind.

"Angel! Thank God! It's me, Giorjio! Giorjio Dupont, your brother! It's me! Help! I don't know what to do! Amy… We're at hospital! And Amy's giving birth… And I'm scared and I don't know what to…"

"Which hospital?" I interrupted. Poor Giorjio. Of course, I shouldn't have felt sorry for him because he wasn't the one who would have to give birth and all, but still. My brother was in tears. That's a first.

Giorjio told me the name, and I dragged Will back to the car.

"Are you gonna tell me what's happening?" he asked, utterly confused. I shrugged.

"What is there to tell? Amy's giving birth, and my brother's absolutely horrified and in shock."

"…I'm gonna meet you brother?" Will's voice shook slightly and he knitted his eyebrows worriedly. "Have you told him about me?"

"No," I smiled. "He'll try to kill you or something, since he's so protective of me!" For once, I was not joking. Giorjio was… _very_ protective. Oh dear. Now Will looked scared to death. "I mean, he'll love you!"

Great. Now he looked even more scared.

I started the car and drove as quickly as I could. Halfway there, I realised all of a sudden exactly what was happening. I braked abruptly in front of a red light I had been going to drive through.

"I'm going to be an aunt," I breathed. I honestly couldn't believe that Giorjio was going to be a father. He would spoil his kids rotten.

"Are you okay? I thought you were, like, the expert on all this pregnancy stuff, but you're hyperventilating," Will said.

"Shut up! I am not hyperventilating!"

"Yes, you are."

"No! You…You don't look too well yourself!"

"Aha! You just admitted to hyperventilating!"

"No, I did not!"

We carried on in a similar fashion until we arrived at the hospital. Once we had been led to where Giorjio was (the nurse eyed Will hungrily, and I did what any other overly-paranoid girlfriend would do: extremely wicked things), Giorjio scrutinized Will carefully, his anxiety forgotten now that my soulfinder had been introduced.

"Hm…He's not good-looking enough for you. But he'll do, for now. I thought you were messed up enough, Angel, but seriously? You screwed his brother and had his child, then got together with him? That is sick!"

I didn't want to hear about this. Neither did Will.

_So far, he's not making much a good impression on me, _he informed me. I rolled my eyes.

"How's Amy?" I asked, just to change the subject since they were now scowling at each other, puffing out their chests and acting generally stupid.

"Oh." Giorjio's face collapsed into an expression I had never seen him wear, ever: hopelessness. "I-I don't know. I'm going to go back to her, make sure she's okay. I shouldn't have stayed away so long…she must be in agony…" He rushed away, leaving Will and I alone.

Sigh. Time for the deep and meaningful chat about our future.

"D'you think we'll be in that situation one day?" Will wondered. I shrugged.

"I don't know. I'd love to, but, honey, you're not the one who has to push this cabbage-sized thing out of your private parts, alright? I've done it twice already, and while I don't regret my kids, I do wonder sometimes why God didn't make pregnancy easier. Or make guys give birth," I rambled. I sounded like an idiot.

"No, you don't. And I don't think the whole 'guys giving birth' thing is physically possible. But I respect that you've been through it, it hurt like hell. Believe me, I do not wanna think about that visual you gave me, but it would be so amazing to have a child with you."

Giorjio reappeared, looking slightly tear-stained and disheveled. "She swore at me," he stated miserably. "Like really _swore_. I don't know how to help her. She wants you, Angel."

I nodded. I had expected as much. Leaving the two guys to themselves, I walked to the room Amy was being kept in.

_Uh…Giorjio? You know you should stay with her, even if she tells you to get out, right? She'll be so mad at you afterwards._ I told him. He responded that he was coming and a few seconds later we entered the room.

"Bloody hell! Finally!" This managed to completely take me by surprise, as I had never heard Amy say anything worse than 'bugger'.

"We're here," I murmur reassuringly. She looked terrible in a good way. Like, she always looks good, but right now she looks like about to burst apart.

"I know you're here, I have eyes, and I can see! Now, get over here and tell me how to deal!"

An exhausting and completely tiring thirty-six hours later, Maximilian Riley Dupont was born. He didn't look that cute, all red and covered in yucky bits and pieces, but the way Giorjio and Amy stared at him made you think he was the most beautiful being on Earth.

I was wrong. Giorjio wasn't the one who was going to spoil him; I was.


	15. Finale

**Finally got off my lazy arse and finished the chapter! Huge thanks to my beta reader, juxtaposed92, and everyone who's reviewed/favourited/added to story alerts this story!**

**I hope you enjoy this, it's the last chapter of Saving Angel! :(  
><strong>

15. Finale

The kids were in bed by the time we got home. I had phoned Summer and begged her to look after them while we were gone. As soon as we stepped into the house, Summer and Xav immediately ran over, worried and freaked out of their minds.

"What happened? All we knew was that there was an emergency! We've been worried sick!" The way they spoke in plural so casually didn't escape me. Will and I glanced over at each other awkwardly, wondering what to say.

"My brother's a dad," I say. The statement is met with blank stares and a chuckle from Will.

"What she means is that we were at the hospital, Angel's an aunt!" He enthused. He was glowing with pride and his mouth had been formed into a smile since we left the hospital.

"You guys, sit down, and _explain_." Summer rolled her eyes and grabbed my hand, pulling me into the living room where my two children were staring at the television as if they were hypnotized.

"They've been watching TV all this time?" I cried out. At the same time, the kids looked up and grinned mischievously. "You guys! Go to bed!"

"I don't want to!" Sonja giggled her eyes wide. Oh, great. She was hyper.

"What did you give her?" I turned around, lips pursed, to glare at Summer.

"Nothing," she replied, too quickly, her eyes darting from one corner of the room to the next, not daring to look at me.

"Nothing!" Xav laughed. "We let them drink coke, that's what! I did _not_ expect them to get that hyper!" He snickered when he saw my unhappy face.

"How much?" Was all I managed to say without shouting at him. I hated it when my kids were hyperactive. They once coloured the walls with crayons. Another time, they kept the bath running until half the floor was covered in water.

Now even Xav looked uncomfortable. He probably sensed how upsetting this was for me. Or he'd heard my mental _You will regret this, Xavier Benedict._ "Just…a few glasses. Anyways, you were gonna tell us some big news."

I got sidetracked as I remembered Maxi's tiny newborn hands and his innocent, serene face. I smiled brightly and started rambling.

"It was so amazing, I'm an aunt! My brother gave birth! And I'm an aunt! Well, no, my brother didn't, but his soulfinder did! And he's so cute! Well, no, he looked like a monkey, but he was so tiny!" Sonja and Daniel both cocked their heads to the side, looked at each other, and shrugged.

"G'night, mummy! We think you're drunk." Sonja and Daniel both skipped out, giggling wildly at their wickedness. I snorted.

"Will, can you please explain? I'm lost. Who gave birth?" Summer and Xav sat down at the same time. Will and I followed with sheepish grins on our faces.

"My brother's wife, Amy. She gave birth to a boy. He's called Maximilian, after my father. I've…never seen my brother so nervous." I calm down enough to explain all this, and see the smiles on Summer and Xav's faces.

"Oh, how sweet! And, how is she doing? Is she alright? I remember when my mum gave birth, my dad fainted. And my mum hasn't let him forget yet. But it's going to get tiring!" Summer laughed, and soon after Xav joined in. I didn't.

"Do you think that's funny? Believe me when I say, it is not!" My stupid, terrible, crappy accent started playing up again. Ever since I'd met Will, my accent had been getting better and better, but now, because I was so excited and all, well, I sounded awful. "Being a mother is… Well, you'll find out, Summer! Just you wait!" Instead of nodding and apologizing, the two just laughed even harder.

"I'm a great dad, Angel! And Summer is great at _whatever_ she does," Xav replied with a wiggle of his eyebrows. Will rolled his eyes while I sighed furiously.

"And with that, please get out of my house!" I grinned to let them know I was joking, but Summer stood up anyway.

"Actually, I think we'll head home. My family's coming tomorrow, so I have to get everything ready. Thanks, Angel."

"No, no, thank _you_, Summer. I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't stepped in." I hugged her briefly.

Once they were gone, Will and I checked on the kids. They were fast asleep, thank God. We sat on the couch, my head on his chest, his hands drawing patterns up my arms. I couldn't get enough of him.

"I love you," I murmured. I felt him smile as he pressed a kiss against the top of my head, then bent down to kiss my neck. I closed my eyes.

"I love you too." I could hear him say those words over and over again, and I would never get tired of them. My lips sought his as my hands reached up to wrap themselves around his neck. He moaned softly.

In that moment, I was happy. I was ecstatic and over the moon and my heart felt like it could burst. I knew that it wouldn't always be that way, I wouldn't always smile and laugh and be happy, but that was life. For now, I was content. And for now, that was enough.

**I hope that was alright. :)**

**Sorry, again, that this story took so long to write!**

**BTW, check out Lucky Thirteen by VivaLaVida1704! It's awesome :D  
><strong>

**See you soon (hopefully),  
>Manda xoxo<br>**


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